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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



012 508 173 fl 




ADMIRAL DEWEY AT THE BATTLE OF MANILA. 



TO THE 

GALLANT AMERICAN SAILORS and SOLDIERS 

WHOSE 

HEROic Deeds in Manila Bay 

AND IN 

. Their SAiNGuiNARV Battles with the filipine Insurgents 

have gained for them 

imperishable renown and the honor of their 
grateful countrymen 

this volume which 

Recounts in Glowing Terms their Superb Valor, Their 
Self-Sacrificing Patriotism and Magnificent 

Achievements 

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 

as a sincere tribute to the dauntless heroism that has 
won the admiration of the whole world 

AND brought 

NEW GLORY TO OUR FLAG 



LIFE AND HEROIC DEEDS 

OF 

Admiral Dewey 



INCLUDING '' 

BATTLES IN THE PHILIPPINES 

CONTAINING A 

COMPLETE AND GLOWING ACCOUNT OF THE GRAND ACHIEVE- 
MENTS OF THE HERO OF MANILA; HIS ANCESTRY AND 
EARLY LIFE; HIS BRILLIANT CAREER IN THE GREAT 
CIVIL WAR; HIS FAMOUS VICTORY IN THE 
HARBOR OF MANILA, ETC., ETC. 

TOGETHER WITH 

THRILLING ACCOUNTS OF OUR GREAT 
VICTORIES IN THE PHILIPPINES 

THE CLIMATE, PRODUCTS AND RICH RESOURCES OF THESE WON- 
DERFUL ISLANDS, TOGETHER WITH THE MANNERS AND 
CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE, THEIR CITIES, 
TOWNS, NATURAL SCENERY, ETC. 

BY LOUIS STANLEY YOUNG 

Editor of "The Bounding Billow,'' the official organ of Admiral Dewey's fleet, 
printed on board U. S. Flagship Olympia 

IN COLLABORATION WITH 

HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP 

The well-known Author 



Superbly Embellished with a Galaxy of Phototype Engravings 
NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.. 

239. 241 AND 24J AMERICAN ST., 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



TWO COPIES RECEIVED. 

horary of Congte^^ 
Office of tka ^ 

DI:U4-18P.9 

Register of Copyrlghfa, 



48701 

Fntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1899, by 

J. R. JONES 

In the Office of the I,ibrarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 

All Rights Reserved 



SECOND COP% 



PREFACE. 

The whole world admires a hero, and no nation is more 
proud of its great men than is our own. Admiral Dewey won 
the battle of Manila, and gained the most brilliant naval victory 
known to history. This grand achievement startled the civilized 
world and made him the idol of his countrymen. 

His magnificent career is portrayed in this volume, and the 
splendid record is worthy of its illustrious subject. It furnishes a 
vivid description of him from his boyhood to the time when he 
sent the Spanish fleet to destruction and wrote his name high on 
the scroll of immortal fame. 

Many interesting anecdotes are related of the famous Admi- 
ral's ancestry, his home life and early training. Through his 
heroic deeds, which have been the wonder of all nations, the reader 
sees the grand qualities of the man and is charmed with his 
noble traits of character. A full account is eiven of the Admiral 
as a young naval cadet while he was preparing himself for the 
remarkable career which has given him a world-wide celebrity. 

His heroic exploits in the Civil War under Admiral Farragut 
are fully depicted. In the naval operations on the Mississippi he 
exhibited all the traits that distinguished him as the commander 
of our Asiatic fleet. Quick in decision, fearless in the face of 
danger, actuated only by loyalty to his country and an unflinch- 
ing sense of duty, he rose from one position to another by the 
force of merit alone until he became the crowning ornament of 
the American navy. 

Following the intensely interesting account of Admiral Dewey's 
boyhood and his brilliant career in our great Civil War, is a 
complete record of his service in the navy up to the time of our 
war with Spain, A thrilling description is furnished of the famous 
battle in Manila Bay in which Dewey gained his superb victory) 
and, without the loss of a single man, hurled destruction and 
'ieath at the Spanish fleet. The reader's heart beats high and 
his blood tingles as he reads the vivid account of Admiral Dewey's 



vi PREFACE. 

grand achievements. He sees the " Iron Dogs of War " in battle, 
hears the thunder of guns, marks the cool daring of the gallant 
Admiral on the bridge of his flagship, and beholds "Old Glory" 
waving over the most wonderful naval victory of which history 
gives us any record. 

Admiral Dewey himself gives a most striking account of his 
great achievement, and none certainly could be more accurate or 
more interesting to the reader. In his own concise language he 
depicts the struggle, and we stand with him, as it were, on the 
bridge of his ship and look out upon the stirring scene, while all 
our emotions of patriotism are excited and we hail the news of 
victory. Facts and incidents relating to the renowned Admiral 
are woven throuo-h this volume. 

The eyes of the whole country have been turned toward the 
Philippine Islands, and public interest has followed eagerly the 
military operations of our gallant army. In addition to the life 
of Admiral Dewey and the thrilling story of his great naval vic- 
tory, this work contains a complete and vivid account of the 
battles in the Philippines ; the capture of Manila by our American 
troops ; the subsequent attack on the city by the army of Aguin- 
aldo, the insurgent general ; the brave advance of the American 
forces under Generals Otis, MacArthur, Wheaton, Hale, and 
others are all vividly portrayed. 

All the latest events that have brougfht renown to our arms 
and glory to our flag, including the thrilling exploit of Colonel 
Funston, when he charged the enemy's trenches with nine men, 
and other darino^ deeds of our o-allant soldiers, together with the 
negotiations between the Filipinos and our commanders to end 
the war, are depicted in this masterly volume. 

Added to all this is a graphic description of our new posses- 
sions in Asia. A fund of valuable information is furnished the 
reader concerning these wonderful islands. Admiral Dewey has 
said that our new tropical possessions are the key to commerce 
in Asia. Their climate, vast resources, rich soil and luxuriant 
products are all fully described, together with the cities, towns 
and manners and customs of the people. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

ADMIRAL DEWEY'S ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 17 

CHAPTER II. 

YOUNG DEWEY AS A NAVAL CADET AT ANNAPOLIS 29 

CHAPTER III. 

DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN OUR GREAT CIVIL WAR .... 34 

CHAPTER IV. 

THRILLING INCIDENTS OF DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE 48 

CHAPTER V. 

STORY OF DEWEY'S MAGNIFICENT VICTORY AT MANILA AS 
TOLD IN "THE BOUXDLNG BILLOW," THE OFFICIAL OR- 
GAN OF THE FLEET, PUBLISHED ON THE FLAGSHIP 
OLYMPIA 64 

CHAPTER VI. 

DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET IN MANILA BAY .... 88 

CHAPTER VII. 

ADM1R-\L DEWEY'S ACCOUNT OF HIS GRAND ACHIEVEMENT. Ill 

CHAPTER VIII. 
SUPERB VALOR OF THE AMERICAN FLEET AT MANILA .... 133 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE SPANISH FLAG STRUCK TO THE STARS AND STRIPES . . 148 

CHAPTER X. 

DOWNFALL OF THE CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES 167 

vii 



vm CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XL 

PAGB 

CAPTURE OF THE CITY OF MANILA BY ADMIRAL DEWEY AND 

GENERAL MERRITT 187 

CHAPTER XII. 

\N OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES SHIP RALEIGH TELLS 

HOW SHE FIRED THE FIRST SHOT 207 

CHAPTER XIII. 

ON BOARD THE FLAGSHIP OLYMPIA WITH DEWEY 220 

CHAPTER XIV. 
OUR SOLDIERS IN THE BATTLE AND CAPTURE OF MANILA . 231 

CHAPTER XV. 
AGUINALDO AND OTHER LEADERS OF THE INSURGENTS ... 245 

CHAPTER XVI. 
THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR WONDERFUL COUNTRY 260 

CHAPTER XVIL 

STRANGE AND THRILLING SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA . 273 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

WAR WITH THE FILIPINO INSURGENTS 293 

CHAPTER XIX. 

BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR GALLANT SOLDIERS ... 306 

CHAPTER XX. 

OUR FAMOUS NAVAL HERO CREATED AN ADMIRAL 323 

CHAPTER XXI. 

HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELDS IN THE PHILIPPINES 341 



CONTENTS. ix 

CHAPTER XXII. 

DEWEY S BIG GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN 352 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT OFFERED TO THE FILIPINOS .... 363 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE HEROIC DEEDS OF OUR NAVAL AND MILITARY COM- 
MANDERS CELEBRATED IN VERSE 373 

CHAPTER XXV. 

THE STORY OF DEWEY'S GREAT VICTORY TOLD IN OFFICIAL 

REPORTS OF OUR NAVAL COMMANDERS 421 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

OUR NEW POSSESSIONS— THEIR CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTS, 

RICH RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES 434 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

ADMIRAL DEWEY ON HIS FLAGSHIP HOMEWARD ROUND ... 443 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT OF OUR BATTLESHIPS ... 463 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE CHIEF OF THE UNITED STATES DETECTIVES TELLS HOW 

HK CAPTURED THE SPIES OF SPAIN 460 

CHAPTER XXX. 
AGITATION FOR PEACE ENDS IN RENEWAL OF HOSTILITIES . 476 

CHAPTER XXXI. 
VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS 489 

CHAPTER XXXn 
REMINISCENCES AND ANECDOTES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY -'AS 



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ADMIRAL 
THE HERO OF MANILA. 



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OLD SCHOOLHOUSE AT MONTPELIER, VERMONT, WHERE YOUNG 
DEWEY FIRST ATTENDED SCHOOL 




1. -YOUNG DEWEY IN THE APPLE TREE 2. DEWEY AND HIS SISTER 
GIVING A THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENT IN THE BARN 3. -HIS 

FIRST VOYAGE 4. -CHASTISED BY HIS SCHOOLMASTER 




LIEUTENANT DEWEY SAVING THE LIFE OF A COMRADE 




OFFICER DEWEY THE LAST TO LEAVE THE BURNING SHIP 

" MISSISSIPPI" 




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CAPTAIN LAMBERTON 
Admiral Dewey-s Chief of Staff 




CAPTAIN C. V. GRIDLEY 

Late Commander of Admiral Dewevs Flagship " Olympia " 

"you may fire when you are ready, gridley"— dewey 




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ADMIRAL DEWEY, 

THE 

HERO OF THE GREAT NAVAL BATTLE OF MANILA 




CHAPTER I. 

Admiral Dewey's Ancestry and Early Life. 

ANY of the most glowing pages of history commemorate the grand 
achievements of Naval Heroes. Some of the fiercest battles have 
been fought on the water, and decided the destiny of nations. The 
men who have gained famous victories on the sea have invariably 
been made the idols of their countrymen. 

England had her Sir Francis Drake, her Lord Howe, her Rodney and 
Lord Nelson, the last of whom was elevated to the highest p^de^'^^al of renown. 
Our own country has had her Paul Jones, her Commodore 1 -■ and Ad- 
miral Farragut. The heroic exploits of these and other great laval com- 
manders will live as long as the historic deeds of the men who founded the 
nation, and of others who saved it in the dark hours of its peril. 

And now we have another great Naval Hero whose brilliant achieve- 
ments have given him a world-wide fame, and whose name is destined to be 
wreathed with immortal glory. Comparatively unknown until his guns at 
Manila shook the world with their reverberations, he suddenly became a 
popular hero, and his countrymen vie with one another in doing him honor. 

We have here a striking illustration of the fact that the emergency always 
brings the man. When the national crisis comes the great leaders are found 
to carry the Stars and Stripes through the thick of the fight, and maintain 
the prestige of the nation. It has always been so, and judging from the blood 
that flows in the veins of American manhood it will be so in all time to 
come. The courage of our navy and army has been tested in many a trying 
hour of our nation's history. That courage never yet has failed, and there 
is some reason for us to be proud of our achievements, and of the men who 
have been loyal to our flag and have maintained its honor. 

One of the most striking effects of Admiral Dewey's great victory at 
Manila was the revelation it gave to other nations of the globe of our naval 
2 17 



18 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 

power and our ability to dispute in sturdy fashion the supremacy of the seis 
Looking through the history of our country one can scarcely find a single 
naval battle where American ships were engaged in which they did no; 
triumph over their foe. This is due to both tact and courage. And here 
especially do the Yankee traits show themselves. Fertile in resources, quick 
to take in the situation, brave and resolute in the face of danger, and above 
all possessed of a patriotism that burns with undying ardor, the defenders of 
our country have shown themselves to be invincible, and the flag under which 
they fought has never been struck to a foreign foe. 

Grand Achievements of the American Navy. 

We may be pardoned if we recall with some degree of pride the achieve- 
ments of our navy in the past, and especially during the Spanish-American 
war. A very sudden and profound respect for our grim battleships has been 
created among other nations. They took little account of our navy, did not 
know its size or capacity, and it is safe to say that Continental Europe has 
been quite as much astonished at our tremendous victories as were the 
Spaniards themselves. Now, wherever one of our battleships goes the flags 
of other nations are dipped with such respect as never before was shown. 
Yet we have never claimed to be a warlike nation. There is a widespread 
and growing feeling against the settlement of disputes by the arbitrament of 
the sword. If any one imagines that the whole American people are warlike 
in sentiment, and care little for the grander victories of peace, that individual 
is making a very grave mistake. We venture upon no prophecies, but it is 
undoubtedly true that the children are born who will see international dis- 
putes settled, not by the sword, but by councils of peace. 

Yet when the time comes that the sword must be drawn, and the guns of our 
ships must be shotted with something besides blank cartridges, there is no shrink- 
ing from the call to arms. Admiral Dewey is a typical American. A man of 
peace until the hour came when peace could be maintained no longer, he was 
suddenly transformed into a warrior of iron mould, and was equal to the occasion. 

The American people are interested in the life and achievements of our 
(greatest naval hero. It has always been said that blood tells, and this state- 
ment receives a remarkable proof and illustration when we come to look into 
the ancestry of the hero of Manila. He is just such a man as might be 
expected from the ancestry that went before him. While it is sometimes 
possible to discover a man who, by the force of native genius, a genius not 
to be accounted for from his family history, comes to the front and surprises 
the world by his deeds, yet in the great majority of cases the old saying that 
blood tells holds strictly true. 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 19 

While it will not add a particle to the everlasting fame which Dewey — • 
tiiere is only one " Dewey" — has brought to his surname through his heroism 
at Manila, yet it is agreeable to know that he is, in a genealogical point of 
view, no " upstart," and that, on the contrary, he is ready to " match " ances- 
tors with any one who may come along, and stands ready to back up his 
assertions with statements bearing on his claims found in Browning's "Ameri- 
cans of Royal Descent," Douglas' " Peerage of Scotland," Dugdala's " Baron- 
age of England," Anderson's " Royal Genealogies," " The Magna Charta 
Barons and their American Descendants," and the other big guns of his' 
genealogical armament. 

The Famous Admiral's Ancestors. 

Admiral Dewey's pedigree begins on the very border of mythology with 
Thor, the Saxon God, or cult-hero, who, according to the ancient Saxon 
chronicles and Snorra Edda of the Saxons, was the ancestor in the nineteenth 
or twentieth generation of another cult-hero, who is almost a myth, called 
variously Vothinn, Othinn, Odin, Bodo and Woden, the King of the West 
Saxons, A. D. 256-300, who, with his spouse, Frea, were the Mars and Venus 
of Saxon mythology. This King Woden, the God of war, is described as the 
great-great-grandfather of the bugaboos of English history, Horsa and Hcngst, 
brothers, freebooters and pirates, of whom the Saxon annals tell us that Hengst 
was the King of Saxons, and died between A. D. 474 and 495, first King of 
Kent. 

Leaving this progenitor of the Saxon rulers of Britain, Admiral Dewey's 
royal lineage passes along the royal Saxon line on the continent, through 
King Hengst's son, Prince Hartwaker, to the historic King Dieteric, and his 
" famous " wife (he had others), Wobrogera, a daughter of the unique char- 
acter, Bellun, King of the Worder. Their grandson, Witekind the Great, was 
the last King of the Saxons, A. D. 769-807, and then dwindled into only 
their Dukes, and Duke of Westphalia, while his descendants for a few gener- 
ations were only Counts of Wettin, until on the genealogical line we come to 
the great Robert — Robert-fortis — who, by his sword, became Count of Axjor 
and Orleans, Duke and Marquis of France, and won the hand of the fair I^dy 
Alisa, sister-in-law to the King of the Francs, Lothary L 

This hero of mediaeval history, Robert-fortis, the great-grandson of the 
great Witekind, was the founder of the so-called Capuchin line of monarchs 
of France, for from him, through a line of Dukes of France and Bur^^undy, 
Counts of Paris, etc., who by their swords and intermarriages, became firmly 
seated on French soil, was descended the celebrated Hugh Capet, Duke 01 
France, who usurped the throne of France and supplanted Charles, Duke of 



?0 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 

jCorraine, the heir of Louis d'Outremere, or King Louis IV, the last Carlovin- 
gian, or descendant of the great Emperor Charlemagne, to occupy the 
" French " throne. 

'Tis said " blood will tell." How true it is in Dewey's case. The blood 
of the finest warriors of history tells in him. He inherited the " knack of 
knowing " when to do it and how to do it, and is the peer of any of his an- 
cestors from Hengst to Hugh Capet, yet unconsciously he emulated the traits 
of many of them. 

Two other Kings of the Capuchin line — Robert, the Pious, and Henry, 
the First — Dewey numbers among his illustrious ancestors, and Gibbon, in 
his history of the Roman Empire, tells us of the high lineage of one of his 
early ancestresses, Anne of Russia, wife of Henry I, of France. Gibbon states 
she was the daughter of Jaroslaus, Grand Duke or Czar of Russia, A. D. 
1015-1051, who was a descendant of Basil, the Macedonian, first Emperor of 
Constantinople, of his line, A. D. 867, and that Basil was descended, on his 
father's side, from the Araeides, the rivals of Rome, possessors of the scepter 
of the East for 400 years, through a younger branch of the Parthian monarchs, 
reigning in Armenia ; and on his mother's side, from the European Constan- 
tine the Great, and Alexander the Great, the Macedonian. 

His Illustrious Lineage. 

All these illustrious historic characters were Dewey's ancestors and so 
also were many others, he or any one can ever be proud of. But gene- 
alogy, like politics, " makes strange bedfellows." He was born to these — 
good, bad and indifferent ancestors — they have been discovered for him, not 
manufactured, and of their attributes he has inherited the best, so it appears. 

Continuing Dewey's pedigree, we find that one of his ancestors — the one 
necessary to connect him with these historic characters — was the son of King 
Renry I of France, Hugh the Great, or Magnus, Duke of France and Bur- 
gundy, Marquis of Orleans and Count of Paris, and through his wife. Count 
of Vermandois and Valois, a noted man of his day. 

It is here that Dewey's pedigree leaves the Continent and begins to be a 
part of English history. Dewey's ancestress, Lady Isabel de Vermandois, 
was the daughter of the aforesaid Hugh Magnus, and was the first wife (he 
was her first husband) of Robert de Bellomont, or Beaumont, a Norman, Earl 
of Millent, who accompanied William of Normandy on his expedition to Eng- 
land, and for the part he took in the conquest was created in 1 103 Earl of 
Leicester and granted many manors in England, dying in 11 18. He had 
issue by Lady Isabel, Robert Bosse de Bellomont, 2d Earl of Leicester, who 
was justiciary of England, and dying in 1168 had issue by his wife, Lady 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 21 

Amelia or Amicia, a daughter of Ralph de Waer, or Waher, who in 1066 
was the Earl of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge, but forfeited these earldoms 
in 1074 ; Robert-blanch-Mains, third Earl of Leicester and steward of England, 
whose daughter, Lady Margaret de Bellomont, was an ancestress of Admiral 
Dewey. 

This lady married Saher de Quincey, an English baron, created in 1207 
by King John, to win him over to his side, Earl of Winchester. This baron 
accepted and enjoyed the honors conferred on him by John, but never was 
friendly to him. On the contrary, he was, next to Fitz Walter, the leader of 
the insurrectionary barons, and did as much work as any of them to compel 
King John to grant the Magna Charta — the charter of liberty — and was one 
of the twenty-five sureties chosen to enforce its observance. It is through 
this baron that Dewey is eligible to membership in the Order of Runnymede. 

Records of the English Peerage. 

Turning now to the pages of the Scottish peerage books, we learn that 
this Earl of Winchester's granddaughter, Elizabeth de Quincey, was the wife ol 
Alexander de Comyn, second Earl of Buchan, who was a descendant o» 
Donalbane, King of Scots, which gives Dewey a " strain " of the sturdiest 
sort. And reverting again to the English peerage, we find that Gilbert^, 
Baron d'Umfraville, married Lady Agnes, a daughter of the aforesaid Eliza- 
beth. Countess of Buchan, and was the progenitor of a line of Umfravilles to 
Lady Joan d'Umfraville, who married Sir William Lambert, Knight, Lord ol 
Owlton Manor, in Durham. From the authentic pedigrees of the official 
Heralds of England we learn that a great-granddaughter of this marriage was 
the wife of Thomas Lyman, Gent., of Navistoke, in Essex, who died in 1509, 
and the mother of Henry Lyman, of High Ongar, in Essex, who was the 
ancestor of that Richard Lyman, born at High Ongar Manor in 1580, 
who came to the Massachusetts Colony in 1631 and died in 1640 at 
Hartford, Conn., of which city he was one of the founders and earliest lot 
owners. 

His son, Richard Lyman's (of Windsor, Conn., died in 1662) daughter, 
Hepzibah, married, November 6, 1662, Josiah Dewey (who was baptized Oc- 
tober 10, 1641, and was the son of Thomas Dewey, the first of this surname 
to come to the New World — to Boston, Mass., in 1633) and they were the 
parents of Josiah, Jr., born December 24, 1666, who was the lineal ancestor, 
^s set forth in the " Dewey Genealogy," by William T. Dewey, of Montpelier, 
Vt., of our gallant hero, Admiral George Dewey. 

George Dewey was born in Montpelier, Vt., on Christmas night, 1837. 
He came from the finest Colonial stock of New England, and he comes of ai 



22 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 

good fighting stock as ever distinguished itself. It was such stock that con- 
ctituted the Green Mountain boys and the victory at Bunker Hill. 

As we have seen, his ancestor, Thomas Dewey, was among that small 
band of Pilgrims which landed in Massachusetts Bay in 1630. Old Ver- 
monters will tell you the legend of another of his ancestors, named the Rev. 
Jedediah Dewey, who began to preach the Gospel of Christ on that Sunday 
morning when the Battle of Bennington was fought. At the outbreak of wai 
the Rev. Jedediah laid down the Bible, asked the congregation to follow him 
shouldered his musket and marched to the firing line. When he had helped 
vanquish the English, he went back to church, opened the Bible, took up the 
fifthly part of his orthodox sermon and went on as if a victorious affray was 
an everyday affair. 

It is a striking coincidence that another Dewey should sail over to a great 
fleet on another Sunday morning, vanquish this fleet, then draw back his ships 
and have breakfast served. 

The Admiral's Religious Belief. 

George Dewey's father was a physician ; his mother, a beautiful woman 
and a wit, who died when her son was five years old. Her funeral took place 
from Christ Church, which her husband had founded, in which the future ad- 
miral was christened, and at whose chancel he took the vows of membership. 

This, in addition to his membership in Christ Church, answers the many 
rumors concerning Admiral Dewey's religious belief. He is, and has always 
been, a devout Episcopalian. He is one of the many great Christian com- 
manders of the world. 

Rumor has been busy making of George Dewey a very meek and quiet 
little boy. No one who knew him will define him by those adjectives. A 
boy may be shy, but with great force ; without debate, but full of timely action; 
not talking much, but observing and thinking. Such was young Dewey, if 
the talk of intimates places a fair estimate on his character. There were 
many traits in the boy that have been broadly developed in the man. He 
wanted to do things very thoroughly. He was quiet until his time came. He 
never shirked a punishment. He talked little, and, as a schoolmate said of 
him, " he was never a dirty little boy." 

The Admiral is remembered now for his punctilious grooming, his irre- 
proachable outfit, and as a small boy he always looked as if he had just been 
\mwrapped from tissue paper. 

No other boy dared taunt him with being " a girl baby " because he had 
(vhole stockings at all times and fresh, clean shirts whenever needed. They 
didn't taunt him, for the small boys of Montpelier had learned the lesson that 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY EITE. 23 

George Dewey seems to be able to teach forcibly at all times — that he was 
able to soundly thrash those who annoyed him. 

He could beat boys swimming and handling horses, and you can't taunt 
a boy with the sneer of being " a girl baby " when he can beat you on your 
own territory of accomplishments. While he could soundly thrash a boy, he 
wasn't a coward when it CRme to taking his own thrashing if he was cor- 
nered. 

Major Z. K. Pangborn, editor of the Jersey City Jouryial, used to teach 
young Dewey and tell a story of how the young Vermonter was in a con- 
spiracy to thrash him, because his teaching wasn't approved. Major Pang- 
born learned of the conspiracy and had their punishment ready for them, and 
when they attempted their scheme he cornered them. The Admiral likes to 
tell this story, says Major Pangborn, but he doesn't tell all of it, which is that 
the other boys ran away and left Dewey, and he stood up like a man and 
took his thrashing. " He would have thrashed me willingly," said the master, 
" but when he couldn't, and he was caught, it evidently never entered his head 
to dodge and run." 

Story of the Master's Ruler. 

The day of the meeting of the Legislature, when the streets of Montpe- 
lier were crowded with visitors, was made a sort of festival. The stout young 
Vermonters from the outlying towns were treated to gingerbread and sweet 
cider, and there were public contests of strength and skill. On these occa- 
sions George Dewey often distinguished himself. His happy knack of win- 
ning contests dates from boyhood. 

It was at school that his " badness " was most in evidence. Accounts 
differ somewhat, and one asserts that he was a pugnacious little bully, fightmg 
his mates and fighting his teacher; yet even then there were hints of a higher 
ambition, not always appreciated. 

" I want to visit all the countries on earth," he said one day as he stood 
before the desk, " and get acquainted with all the rulers." 

The master grinned : " Here's one ruler I'll make you acquainted with 
right now," he remarked. 

It was a wooden ruler, and the ceremony was painful. But the lad's law- 
less behavior soon ceased to be a light matter, and he became the terror of 
the school, the ringleader of a gang of three, bigger and stronger than the 
rest, whose only study was how to thwart and torment the teacher. They 
ran the institution much like a troop of cowboys raiding a Western town. 
A-lready several teacher victims had suflcrcd and fled, discipline was hooted at 
and the trustees were at their wits' end — all on account of "that Dewey boy." 



24 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 

There appeared on the scene a new master, one worthy of the title, as h 
proved, but they didn't know that yet. This was Z. K. Pangborn, already 
referred to, a husky young fellow just out of college. His name should be 
remembered, for he conquered Dewey, It was really a great event, the turning 
point in the boy's life. 

The beginning was not auspicious. Old residents say that when Pang- 
born first caught sight of the future Admiral the youngster was perched in 
a tree throwing stones at the other boys as they passed. From the first he 
had always managed to keep himself well supplied with ammunition. The 
teacher ordered him to quit ; such conduct was disgraceful. Dewey made a 
response that was not altogether polite. 

By evening the young rebel had organized his plan of attack. As usual 
he did not wait for the enemy to strike the first blow. He formed his com- 
panions into a company, provided plenty of ammunition in the form of frozen 
snowballs and lay in ambush by the roadside. When the teacher came 
within range he was greeted with a rattling volley, followed by fists at close 
quarters. Bad Boy Dewey alighted upon Panghorn's shoulders like a cata- 
mount and tried to throw him. The result was not decisive, but Pangborn 
retreated in some disorder, leaving the field to the boys. 

Lively Time in the Schoolroom. 

The next morning the schoolmaster made no mention of the surprise 
party, but promptly ordered a boy who was making a disturbance to take a 
seat on the front bench. That was the signal. The Dewey battalion rose in 
a body and marched forward. Their leader informed the teacher that they 
were going to " lick him." 

Pangborn reached for his rawhide. George struck out for all that was 
in him, but for once his blows didn't land, while the rawhide fell in raking 
broadsides on his head and shoulders and legs. Some of the other boys sailed 
in, but the master snatched a hickory stick from the woodbox and laid them low. 

A few hours later Pangborn escorted the battered twelve-year-old to his 
home and reported to his father that he had brought him his son, " somewhat 
the worse for wear, but still in condition for school work." The courtly Dr. 
Dewey thanked the teacher for his services and promised that the boy should 
be in his place the next day. 

All that young Dewey needed, apparently, was a master who could com- 
pel obedience and respect. The bad boy soon became the best boy in schooJ 
and the brightest scholar, and as he was acknowledged leader the others 
quickly fell into line. Years afterward George Dewey, then a Lieutenant in 
the Navy, again met the man who had mastered him. 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 25 

"I shall never cease to be grateful to you, sir," he said. "You made a 
man of me. But for that thrashing you gave me in Montpelier I should have 
probably been in the state prison by this time." So, in a certain sense, School- 
master Panghorn won the battle of Manila bay. In the final outcome the 
strokes of his rawhide fell on Spanish shoulders. 

Surprises His Early Acquaintances. 

Boys who grew up with young Dewey were surprised when he became 
the sensational and magnificent centerpiece of the war. He was so shy, so 
quiet, so unobtrusive in his Vermont life that no one predicted a career for 
him. He was not distinguished for any one thing. He was not even a 
brilliant student. It was rather astonishing to his more scintillating class- 
mates how he passed the entrance examination for Annapolis, as that ex- 
amination was even more difficult then than now. 

But he did pass, and that was another of the traits he has developed; 
and while he was appointed only as alternate and didn't get the preference 
appointment, it is another noticeable fact that he got in the academy and the 
preference man went into the ministry. 

Young Dewey exceedingly disliked society. No temptations offered by 
the young people of Montpelier could persuade him to join them in any of 
the simple or formal social life of the city. With girls he had little to say. 
They embarrassed him, and he never knew what to say to them. He made 
his firm friends among those girls who were willing to break down his shy- 
ness and expected no conversational brilliancy from him, but he would never 
enter into the gay life of the little town. 

He had stalwart friends among boys, for with all his shyness he had 
proved the red blood in him. He vv^as not a prude, and enjoyed life as it 
offered itself to him, a vigorous, healthy boy; but it was widely known among 
his schoolmates that he was not a liar, nor a coward, nor a boaster, but there 
was no boy, physically or morally, stronger in school or town. 

He was brought up to thank God for His mercies, and his father used to 
tell the follovving application of the boy's training : Once when George fell 
down from a fence and injured his arm his father said to him, as he was lus- 
tily screaming: ''My! but you are awkward; now you have broken your, 



arm." 



" Well, you should thank God I didn't break both of 'cm," sobbed the 
indignant young sufferer. 

George was not so shy, but he had the usual grain of conceit which is as 
salt to an egg in a strong man's character; and his favorite pastime as a small 
boy, and up until fourteen years of age, was playing actor. He had a thea- 



26 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 

tre in the barn, which was the Mecca of all small boys with talent and desire 
for fun. The curtain was a buffalo robe, the admission a few pins — and 
George always took the prominent part, the heavy role ! 

"The Performance Must Go On." 

His sister, Mrs. Greely, tells of a time when the star actress fell sick at the 
last moment, and George insisted she should take the part. She got 
horribly frightened and whispered to George she couldn't think of a thing 

to say. 

He answered: "Well, make it up as you go, then ; the performance 
must go on." Observe the commander of Manila in that boy ! 

When young Dewey was fourteen years old Major Pangforn, the teacher 
who had thrashed him, moved to a neighboring village and established a 
private school. George went with him, for he was sincerely fond of this 
teacher. But in a few months the boy began to be very restless and discon- 
tented. The desire for an army life made its appearance, and he begged his 
father to send him to a military academy. 

The nearest one was Norwich, which has since been moved to North- 
field, in the same State. So determined was he to enter the army that he had 
his studies at the academy given in view to a preparation for West Point. 
The drills of the academy were his delight, and he felt satisfied that he had 
chosen the right trend of life work. 

As the year went on, however, he began to care more for the naval side 
of the studies than the army. He shifted into these studies vigorously, and 
begged his father to let him go to sea. His father refused, and declared him- 
self in despair because this boy's heart seemed so set on taking up a rover's 
life. He gave the boy a year or two to try his resolve, and at seventeen 
young Dewey was still determined to take to the sea. 

Dr. Dewey determined that if George would go, he must go after the 
dignity of the Deweys, in keeping with his stock and class. He applied for 
an Annapolis appointment, but young Spaulding wanted it, too, and got the 
appointment with Dewey as alternate. However, Dewey got in the academy 
and stood his examination without especial brilliancy, but sufficient to pass 
lim. He entered Annapolis in 1854. 

Before following young Dewey to the school where he was to be educated 
i ( naval warfare, it will be of interest to take a further glance at his boj'hood. 
1 <e was brought up in a typical New England town. The steady habits of the 
people were exemplified in providing good schools for their sons and daugh- 
ters, in regular attendance upon church, in retiring to bed at what city people 
rould call a most absurd hour, in the industrious pursuit of their various 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 27 

callings, and in bestowing a vast amount of excellent advice upon the young 
people, which it is to be feared the young people did not always follow. 

Scenes of Dewey's Childhood. 

Montpelier is to-day very much what it was in Dewey's childhood. Like 
most New England towns the streets are lined with tall, majestic elms. The 
white cottages are clustered under overhanging branches, and the surrounding 
views are inviting to the eye that loves the open country. The town is not 
without its river, on the banks of which young Dewey used to play, and in 
the waters of which he sported with other boys in summer-time. A sister, 
Mary, two years younger than himself, was his frequent companion ; they 
played together, rambled over the fields together, and enjoyed their pastime 
as good, well-disposed, healthy children always do. 

The lad had a present of a " Life of Hannibal," and was fond of playing 
that he was the hero, making a big snow-drift answer for the Alps over which 
Hannibal led his army. Often the children gathered others from the neigh- 
borhood and amused themselves in the barn by giving minstrel shows and 
playing circus. Young George always contrived to be the manager and chief 
performer on these occasions, thus exhibiting at that early date his tendency 
to be at the head in everything he undertook. As a lad he was considered a 
ready fighter, full of pluck and spirit, quick to resent an insult, and not 
in the habit of being imposed upon without entering a protest with both 
fists. He showed even then the combative spirit that actuated him after- 
wards. 

Moreover, if all traditions can be believed, there were staid people in the 
town who thought George was a pretty wild, headstrong, harum-scarum boy 
who would certainly come to some bad end. Very likely some of the best 
men in town predicted this, although they themselves in childhood outstripped 
Geoige Dewey in roguery and recklessness. The lad was sure to be foremost 
in winter sports, and in summer, if there was a good orchard anywhere, he 
was sure to knov; it, and was also well acquainted with the tree that bore the 
best apples. And it is afifirmed that he cared more for the apples than for in- 
quiring who was the owner of the tree. 

Thus it t^ill be seen that our future Admiral was ju.st an average boy, 
with perhaps a trifle more of the boy .spirit than one would commonly find. 
He was f»:)l of life, was always wide-awake, yet was not over bold, and withal 
appears to have been somewhat retiring in disposition. He was such a lad n.'=. 
would naturally win the good-will of others and would find friends wherever 
he went. His parents and ancestors were among the most respectable poop!': 
of the town and occupied positions of influence. 



28 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 

It is related that when the people of Montpelier after the battle of Manila 
were celebrating the proud achievements of their fellow-townsman, an inci- 
dent occurred which showed the estimate of at least one of the old residents 
of the place, a sort of droll character with a strong infusion of Yankee shrewd- 
ness. While the crowd was lining the street this man was seen making his 
way toward the old school-house, carrying a long board which was carefully 
wrapped so that no one could see it. 

Inscription on the Old Schoolhouse. 

Arriving at the school-house the man took off the covering and pro- 
ceeded to nail the board up over the door. When people read it they found 
this lettering : " Here is where his ideas were taught to shoot." A profound 
truth is conveyed in this statement. The old New England school-house has 
been the nursery of some of our country's greatest men. There they studied, 
played pranks in their boyhood, and perhaps were soundly whipped, but it is 
well to recall the saying inscribed on the Connecticut house built at the 
World's Fair : " The finest products of Connecticut are her men and women." 

It may be said with truth that in Dewey's case as well as in nearly all 
others, the boy was the father of the man. 

The career of George Dewey is worthy of the great American historian 
of the future. Almost at the close of his active life this soldier of the sea was 
told to " destroy the Spanish fleet." He did destroy it. He let no ship 
escape. He lost not a man in his fleet. He proved himself a statesman in 
the subsequent handling of affairs at Manila. He showed himself master over 
any situation. Well has he won his proud title of admiral of the navy, better 
still has he won the gratitude of a great people, and best of all has he won for 
himself a name written large and glorious in the naval history of the world. 






CHAPTER II. 

Young Dewey as a Naval Cadet. 

HE. most that any candidate for the navy can do while taking h.£ 
course of education is to attend faithfully to his studies, be re- 
spectful to his superiors, and make the most of the training which 
is intended to fit him for future service. It does not always follow 
that the young man in any school or college who gains a high rank in his 
class will make the greatest success in his profession when he goes out to put 
the knowledge he has acquired to the practical test. 

It is unaoubtedly true that the student in a naval academy will, during 
the course of nis studies, show the materials of which he is made, and will 
give some evidence of what he will accomplish afterward. Many of the best 
scholars have been failures after their education was completed, and many 
who did not give any very bright promise have achieved success when their 
opportunity a.rived, and have surprised those who were almost ready to call 
them stupid a.id predict that they would turn out to be failures. It is never safe 
to reckon a young man up and say what he will come to in after life. Some 
of the most promising turn out the poorest, and some who give no evidence 
of possessing brilliant traits are found to be competent, and in emergencies 
develop powers for which no one gave them credit. 

Little to Distinguish Him from Others. 

It ^ not. therefore, at all strange that during young Dewey's career as a 
naval cadet no one predicted that he would reach the rank of Admiral, the 
highest position in our navy. It was known that he had come from good 
stock, that New England boys were for the most part bright, industrious and 
enterprising. It was known that his home life, early surroundings and 
teachings had been such as to develop his best and strongest traits of char- 
acter. From all this it might have been guessed that he would faithfullyi 
fulfill his duties, yet there was nothing about him at the naval academy to 
distinguish him from many others. 

It is never known what a young man can do until he gets waked up and 
sets himself in earnest to accomplish his task. Many who have the reputation 
of possessing only moderate ability have never really shown what is in them, 
and they are not likely to show it until there is some occasion that calls forth 



30 YOUNG DEWEY AS A NAVAL CADET. 

their slumbering powers and nerves them to grand achievement. For thtS 
reason the remark is often made that the sons of rich men are most unfor- 
tunate. It is not necessar)/ that they should exert themselves to the utmost 
and they seldom do ; therefore very little is expected of them. The poor boy 
must work ; he has his own fortune to make if it ever is made, and so he is 
the one who is the most likely to succeed. 

, The regular four years' Annapolis course does not seem to have been 
spent by young Dewey in any conspicuous manner. He does not appear to' 
have stood out in prominence in any one thing. He has no record for mis- 
chief and rollicking sport as Commodore Schley had" for sternness, erraticism 
and ability, as Hobson. 

Took High Rank in His Class. 

He just seemed to be an ordinary, good looking, sweet tempered young 
naval cadet. The records of Annapolis do not show any tragedy or comedy 
in his life down there. He must have studied well, for out of the sixty men 
who entered the class in '54 young Dewey came out among the sixteen who 
graduated number five in rank. Of course this is not like being first, which 
is the record most people expect of a hero, and which is the record that most 
parents show up to young boys when trying to instil greatness by example in 
them. As far as Annapolis went young Dewey showed no sign of being an 
admiral. He was beloved by the men and liked by all his teachers, which 
traits, as we all very well know, are not the signs of genius. 

If any one analyzed him at Annapolis they said he was a gentleman, 
very fond of athletic sports, and ready to study when necessity made him. 
Young Dewey must have been a little worried, however, over his standing 
fifth in a class of sixteen. Perhaps his father was anxious that his son should 
have done better. Whatever the reason, when the examination for ranking 
came on young Dewey applied himself to his studies very vigorously. The 
class was called for an examination for commission, as all graduating classes 
are called in Annapolis, and he studied so well and answered his questions 
with such vigor and directness and knowledge that the examiners advanced 
him over two of his fellows who were above him in the academy examina- 
tions, and gave him the rating of No. 5 in the graduating class of 1858. 

This instance seems to point out a characteristic in the Admiral's tem- 
perament which his loyal friends in naval life love to speak of to day. The 
trait is this : he seems to go in very quietly without giving people the impres- 
sion that he has any ability until he gets ready to act. Then when he acts he 
succeeds. 

Young Dewey's success in getting this victory over his classmates before 



YOUNG DEWEY AS A NAVAL CADET. 31 

the Commission Examiners evidently astonished his classmates quite as mucli 
as the victory of May ist astonished his associates in the Navy. Men arc so 
apt to judge another man as able and ambitious and brilliant if he shows 
reckless, impulsive action, and are always astonished when the shy, unobtru- 
sive ones of life do a great thing with calmness and assurance. The world 
never looks for brilliant achievements in a shy and modest man, yet the 
centuries have gone on proving that the quiet men and women sometime? 
develop by incident or accident into the greatest commanders and influences 
the worJd knows. So ended George Dewey's early boyhood. 

Called by His Classmates "The Lucky." 

He had gained his point in entering Annapolis, when his father had to 
be bitterly argued with ; he had been appointed alternate and had won the 
battle over the alternate, and had entered into his chosen life work. He had 
been one of sixty to enter the Naval Academy in '54 ; he had been one of six- 
teen to graduate out of that class of over half a hundred ; he had come out of 
that sixteen five in number, and not content with that rating he had studied 
for two years so that when in i860 he was examined for commission he was 
placed over two of his classmates. These were George Dewey's first victories, 
and these three victories were not to be despised by any young man 23 
years of age. His classmates dubbed him "The Lucky." They did not 
know how well they prophesied, but his luck was of the kind that the world 
often misnames ; the luck which knows desperately hard work. 

All the stories of Dewey's early life have, of course, become of great in- 
terest to the reading public since his grand work at Manila has made him 
famous. When he was a young lieutenant he was located in Maine, and on 
one occasion was compelled to answer in court for a transaction that has 
since been related, yet with some divergence from the truth. 

To George F. Plaisted, an old and highly respected resident of Yoik, 
Me., belongs the unique distinction of being the only man who ever placed 
Admiral George Dewey under arrest. An absurdly inaccurate and misleading 
statement as to how this came about has gone the rounds of the press, but 
the facts are set forth tersely and interestingly in a letter which Mr. Plaisted 
'allowed to be published and which is as follows: — 

" The story of my fining Lieutenant Dewey for assault some thirty years 
ago, which has appeared in many newspapers of late, was not authorized by 
me, and is incorrect in its essential parts. In the published story it was said 
that Lieutenant Dewey thrashed a United States marine at the Kittery Navy 
Yard, and that Justice Plaisted heard the complaint and fined Dewey ^25. 



32 YOUNG DEWEY AS A NAVAL CADET. 

The fine, so ran the story, was promptly paid, the lieutenant remarking with 
a chuckle, as he paid over the money, that it was worth $25 to have had the 
pleasure of thrashing such a disgrace to the United States navy. 

"Now, the law of Maine gives a trial Justice jurisdiction only to the extent 
of a ten-dollar fine. In the next place, if Lieutenant Dewey had assaulted a 
United States marine he would have been court-martialed if tried at all, anc'j 
no civil authority would have had jurisdiction. Thirdly, I never was a trial. 
Justice. 

"The facts, however, are these: I was at that time a deputy sheriff in and 
for the county of York, and as such arrested Lieutenant, now Rear Admiral, 
George Dewey for an alleged assault. He objected to my making the arrest 
as he was a United States officer, and claimed that I had no authority in the 
premises. I did arrest him, however, and, as you will see by the photograph 
of my sheriff's docket, he was fined ;^5 and costs of court, the costs amount- 
ing to ^8.80, a total fine of ^13.80. 

Hit Him on the Head with a Speaking Trumpet. 

" Lieutenant Dewey was then a young man and felt quite grand with his 
stripes. He has doubtless learned a great deal since then. He looked upon 
me with disdain, and thought a country deputy sheriff wasn't anybody. He 
was not satisfied that I could legally arrest him, so at his suggestion we 
repaired to the Commodore's office to have that point settled. 

" The Commodore listened while Lieutenant Dewey stated his side of the 
case. He then asked me if I was an officer, and if so what kind. I told him. 
He asked for the warrant. I showed it to him. Then, after prodding me 
with a few more questions, the Commodore turned to Lieutenant Dewey and 
said: ' Lieutenant,the young man is right, and you had better prepare for trial.' 

" That rather took the wind out of Dewey's sails, and in due time he was 
tried with the result shown on the docket. Garland, the complainant, was a 
private citizen, and Lieutenant Dewey had hit him a lively crack on the head 
with a speaking trumpet. 

" Thirty years have elapsed since I became acquainted with Lieutenant 

Dewey, and but for his unparalleled victory over the Spanish fleet at Manila 

I probably would never have been reminded of the episode of so long ago 

which led up to that acquaintance. 

" George F. Plaisted." 

The town of York in which Mr. Plaisted lives adjoins that of Kittery, in 
which the so-called Portsmouth Navy Yard is located. The old-time assault 
case, which Mr. Plaisted now recalls, and as to the disposition of which his 




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GENERAL LOYD WHEATON 

THE RENOWNED COMMANDER IN THE PHlLIPPINESi 




COLONEL A. L. HAWKINS 
Gallant Commander of the Tenth Pennsylvania Regiment 




SIGHTING GUNS-SCENE IN THE ATTACK ON THE DEFENCES OF MANILA 




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LANDING OF UNITED STATES TROOPS IN THE PHILIPPINES 




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OUR SOLDIER BOYS IN THE PHILIPPINES WRITING HOME 




AGUINALDO, THE INSURGENT LEADER 
OF THE FILIPINOS 




CAPTURE OF PAGSAJAN BV THE AMERICAN LAND AND NAVAL FORCES 




GENERAL FREDERICK FUNSTON 

■AMOUS FOR HIS CHARGE ON THE TRENCHES OF THE INPURQENTS 




GENERAL MacARTHUR 

WHO IS RENOWNED FOR HIS GALLANT ACHIEVEMENTS 
IN THE PHILIPPINES 



YOUNG DEWEY AS A NAVAL CADET. 33 

Sheriff's docket is a silent, but positive witness, took pkice in Kittcry, near the 
navy yard. The defense was that the assault was justifiable. From the point 
of view of a high-spirited young officer who had no use for a loafer and would 
not take back lalk from a fresh civilian it doubtless was; not so, however, in 
the eye of the law. 

The Sheriff of many years ago is now, by the way, one of the busiest 
men in York, and vigorous for one of his years. Besides editing and pub- 
lishing the York Courani — " a bright, iiv'ely local newspaper, devoted ti) 
the best interests of York and surrounding towns '' — he practices law, writes 
insurance, deals in general merchandise and acts as notary public. 

A Relic Highly Valued. 

Money could not buy the old docket, which shows that its owner once 
placed the great admiral under arrest and made him step into court and toe 
the mark. It is likely that the valued relic will be kept in the Plaistcd family 
and be handed down from generation to generation. There is but one other 
possible disposition of it. The former Sheriff may present it to Admiral 
Dewey when, at the first opportunity, he calls upon him to renew the ac- 
quaintance of many years ago. As a reminder of the days when he was a 
smart feeling young lieutenant and sniffed the salty air of the Piscataquis 
Meadows the tell-tale Sheriff's docket would doubtless please the Admiral 
mightily. 

The story here related is pretty strong evidence of the fact that Dewey 
was a positive character. He did not sink his individuality in that of any 
one else. He thought for himself, acted for himself and when the time came 
could defend himself and keep all intruders off from his own preserves. 
Never seeking a quarrel, never coveting the cheap glory of being a fighter and 
a victor over inferior youths, he yet maintained his dignity and had that 
sense of honor which, while it grants respect to others, expects it in equal 
degree for itself. 

a-D 



CHAPTER III. 




Dewey's Heroic Exploits in the Civil War. 

ATRIOTISM and the martial spirit have never been wanting in the 
Dewey family, as will be seen by the following authentic account 
of one of the heroes of the American Revolution. William Dewey 
second, Admiral Dewey's great-grandfather, was born at Lebanon, 
Connecticut, January ii, 1745 (or 6), and married in 1768 Rebecca Carrier, of 
Colchester, Connecticut. He died at Hanover, New Hampshire, June 10, 
1813. His wife survived him until July 6, 1837, when she died and was buried 
at the same place. He served as a corporal in Captain Worthy Waters' com- 
pany from the town of Hebron, Connecticut. This company 
of minute men responded to the Lexington alarm, April^ 
1775, and hurried to the scene of action. 

He was also a corporal in Colonel Jonathan Chase's 
regiment of militia which marched from Cornish, New 
* Hampshire, September, 1777, and joined the Continental 
t Army under General Gates near Saratoga, New York. In 
the latter part of the year we find him serving in Captain 
Samuel Payne's company. This information is taken from 
the records in the Adjutant's General's office in Montpelier, 
Vermont, and consequently is authentic and reliable. He 
was the father of fourteen children, the second of whom was Captain Simeon, 
Admiral Dewey's grandfather. 

After his graduation from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, young 
Dewey was ordered to the steam frigate Wabash, which cruised with the 
Mediterranean Squadron until 1859, when he returned to Annapolis to receive 
his final examination. George Dewey got his first commission on April iS^ 
1 86 1. He was made lieutenant, and from 1861 to 1863 served on the Missis- 
sippi, which was a steam sloop of the West Gulf Squadron. Here again 
'Dewey's luck was with him. Had he been graduated at any other time he 
would not have seen so much service, but that time was full of promise for 
the army and navy. 

When he left Annapolis in 1858 there were rumors of war drifting over 
the country from his little home in Vermont to that small station on the Gulf 
called Pensacola, Politicians and statesmen were bitterly talking in Washmg« 
34 




DEWEY CREST. 
"to the victor be- 
longs THE CROWN." 



DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 3o 

ton, vigorous and virulent pamplilcts were being written all over the countr)- 
by every man who could handle a trenchant pen. 

His two years as ensign, from '58 to '60, had been spent amtjngthe hopes 
and fears of every man in the navy that war would be declared and that the 
American warships would be allowed to use their guns for the first time since 
the institution of the modern American navy. Young Dewey was not less 
hopeful than dozens of other young officers that he would have a chance to 
fight. It is the spirit of war that has gone through all of the young men of 
the country. 

When the gun was fired from South Carolina across the harbor of 
Charleston every young man and every old man in the navy knew that the 
time of their lives had probably come. Too bitter had been the feeling, too 
strong and rankling the word contest to have any one feel that this gun was a 
plaything fired in caprice. Each man believed that he would show his right 
to be an admiral before the States were in union again. 

Young Dewey got his chance to fight, and fight well. Probably old 
Admiral Farragut gave the boy some good lessons in those days in the sub- 
tropical waters of the Gulf; lessons that made the young lieutenant of 1861 
capable of being an admiral himself before he finished his career. There is 
no telling what lessons he studied under Farragut's flag, what dreams he 
dreamed, nor what hopes he cherished under his .shy, reserved nature. 

Farragut's Mantle Fell on Dewey. 

It may be that these forceful days of action under the hottest of Confed- 
erate fire, obeying the signals of the greatest naval commander America had 
produced, fortified him thoroughly with knowledge and experience and with 
courage, and that when his great opportunity came he sailed into Manila bay 
with all the strength of a Farragut and with all the quiet of the gicat 
commander. 

In order to understand the heroic part performed by Dewey under Ad- 
miral Farragut (not an admiral at this time), it will be neces.sary to give a 
detailed account of the exploits of this renowned commander, from which we 
may learn how desperate was the fighting around New Orleans and how brave 
were our gallant sailors who carried the Stars and Stripes to victory. 

Very early in the history of our Civil War the attention of the National 
Government had been directed to New Orleans ; and it was felt that so long 
as the city remained in the possession of the Confederates there could be no 
free navigation of the Mississippi. It was the key-position ; and whoever was 
.strong enough to hold that position was master of the great valley. In the 
autumn of 1861 it was resolved not to wait until the military combinations 



36 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

had forced a passage down the river, but to send a naval expedition, which, 
^tted out in the Atlantic ports, should move up from the gulf The command 
)f this expedition was assigned to Captain David G. Farragut, a Tennessean 
by birth, and an officer who had seen service and done good work both in 
the Mexican campaign and in the naval operations of 1812. It was not, how- 
ever, until early in 1862 that this expedition showed any signs of vitality. By 
that time Stanton had succeeded Cameron as head of the War Department ; 
and the energy of the new chief was making itself everywhere felt. 

On the 2d of February Farragut sailed from Hampton Roads in the 
armored steamer Hartford. Having been detained by sickness at Key West, 
he did not reach Ship Island, his point of destination, until the 20th. of the 
same month. Farragut's instructions were of the most positive kind. He 
was to proceed with all possible dispatch to the Gulf of Mexico, and assume 
command of the western gulf squadron, relieving Flag-officer McKean. The 
gulf squadron, which was employed in enforcing the blockade, was to be con- 
siderably strengthened ; and in addition, there was to be attached to the 
squadron a powerful bomb flotilla, under Commander David Porter. 

Plans to Capture New Orleans. 

With these mortar vessels, as soon as they were ready, and with such 
others as might be spared from the blockade, he was to reduce the defenses 
which guarded the approaches to New Orleans, take possession of that city, 
under the guns of the squadron, and hold it until troops should be sent to his 
aid. If the expedition from Cairo should not yet have got down the river so 
far, he was to push a strong force up the stream past the city, and destroy 
the defenses in the rear. Thus instructed, and having been provided with 
plans of the principal works on the lower Mississippi, Farragut set about the 
accomplishment of his task. 

Arrangements had been made to back up the efforts of the fleet by a 
pov/erful land force. An army of eighteen thousand men was furnished and 
placed under the command of Major-General Butler. Farragut, we have 
seen, arrived at Ship Island on the 20th of February. On the 25th of the same 
month, General Butler, his troops on board five transports, sailed from Hamp- 
ton Roads. Porter's fleet of mortar boats, which were to rendezvous at Key 
West, arrived in due time. It was a formidable fleet. Fitted up in the 
Brookl> n Navy Yard, it had for months been the subject of not a little specula- 
tion; ai.d it was generally expected that with such instruments Porter and 
Farragut would be able to do some effective work. There were in all twenty- 
one vessels, of from two hundred to three hundred tons each, of great 
strength, and constructed so as to draw as little water as possible. They 



DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 37 

were armed with mortars eirrbt and a half tons in wright, and capable of 
throwing a 15-inch shell. luich vessel carried also a 32-pounder rifled can- 
non. Before the middle of April the fleet was in perfect order; Butler, too, 




ADMIRAL DAVID G. P'ARRAGUT. 

had arrived ; and all necessary preparations had been made for a combined 
movement against the enemy. 

Strong as the National forces now undoubtedly were, Farragut had a 



38 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL W/iR. 

task on hand fitted to unnerve the strongest arm and to appall the stoutest 
heart. New Orleans was well fortified ; and the numerous narrow and, in 
some places, shallow outlets by which the Mississippi seeks the sea, make its 
approaches exceedingly perilous to ships of heavy tonnage. These outlets 
are five in number, and are named respectively Pass a I'Outre, Northeast Pass, 
Southeast Pass, South Pass, and Southwest Pass. At a bend about thirty 
miles up the river there were two powerful forts — one on the right or south 
bank, Fort Jackson, and the other on the left or north bank, Fort St. Philip. 
These barred the approach to the city from the gulf; and the Confederate? 
had armed them with more than one hundred guns of long range and 
large calibre. At this point a large chain, sustained upon eight hulks, was 
stretched across the river. Close to Fort Jackson there was a formidable 
water-battery ; and under the guns of the forts there was a fleet of thirteen 
gunboats, a powerful ironclad floating battery, called the Louisiana, carrying 
sixteen guns, and the steam-ram Manassas. 

Powerful Batteries and Destructive Fireships. 

In addition to all these tremendous war appliances, there were numerous 
rafts and fire-shipr. Further up the river and to the southwest of the town, 
on the bayous and lakes, there were elaborate and powerful works, which 
Beauregard had greatly strengthened. In and around the city of New 
Orleans there was a force of at least ten thousand men. General Twiggs, of 
somewhat questionable reputation as a soldier, had been entrusted by the 
Confederates with the defense of the city. His position, by this time, how- 
ever, had been assumed by Mansfield Lovell, formerly a politician and office- 
holder in New York., Lovell had for his assistant General Ruggles, a man 
of ability and energy. The general command of the river defenses was en- 
trusted to General J. K. Duncan, another New York office-holder, Forts 
Jackson and St. Philip being under the immediate command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Edward Higgins. Lovell had made application to the governor of 
the State for ten thousand men ; but such had been the drain upon the army 
by the necessities of the Border States that not more than three thousand 
could be spared him as a reinforcement. 

As it was, however, it was not wholly without reason that the Confed- 
erate strength around New Orleans was believed by some to be sufficient to 
"beat off any navy in the world." "Our only fear," said one of the New 
Orleans journals, " is that the Northern invaders may not appear. We have 
made such extensive preparations to receive them that it were vexatious if 
their 'evincible armada escapes the fate we have in store for it." 



DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVH. WAR, 3;; 

If Lieutenant Dewey had read these boastings they would not have 
alarmed him. He was there for duty, there to fight when the time came, 
tliere to die for his country if such should be his fate. Under Farragut there 
was sore to be hot work, and also a chance for a young officer to distinguish 
himsf.lf, and so our men were ready and eager for the fray. None was more eag:' 
thari Dewey, who was then unknown except to those on board his own ship. 

On the 8th of April the national fleet, consisting of four sloops-of-war, 
seventeen gunboats, twenty-one mortar schooners, and two sailing vessel^ 
but having no ironclads, had been, with great labor, carried over the bar. 
The Brooklyn had been dragged through the mud of the Southwest Pass., 
At the shallowest part, the water was barely fifteen feet deep, the mud having 
/greatly increased in the channel since the commencement of the blockade. 
By the 17th all things were in readiness for an attack. Not only were 
the two fleets now fully in the river: Butler, with his troops, was at the 
Southwest Pass, immediately below, ready to take what action might be 
necessary. A fire-raft, which came sailing down the river, gave the Nationals 
an idea of the species of tactics the enem)- was disposed to adopt. On the 
following day the movement began in earnest. According to the plan agreed 
upon at Washington, and which formed part of the instructions given to Far- 
ragut, Porter was to attempt to reduce the forts by his mortars, and if he 
failed, Farragut was to run past them with his heavy vessels. In the event 
of the latter course being attended with success, Butler was to land his troops 
in the rear of St. Philip and carry it by assault. 

The Bombardment Begins. 

The south bank of the river for several miles below Fort Jackson was 
thickly wooded. At some distance below the bend, and in order to enable 
the guns of the fort to sweep the river and prevent the vessels from ascending, 
a large opening was cut through the wood. It was impossible, however, to 
rob the Nationals of all the advantages which the trees afforded. 

Lender cover of the woods, fourteen of the mortar boats, their masts and 
rigging being clothed with leafy boughs, to make them indistinguishable from 
trees, moved up the river and were moored at desirable points without being 
discovered. The remainder of Porter's boats were on the other side of the 
river ; but as it was found that they were in the range of the guns of the 
forts, they, too, were brought, on the morning of the second day, under cover 
of the woods. Early on the morning of the iSth the bombardment com- 
menced. The first shot was fired from Fort Jackson. Porter was ready 
to reply; the mortar vessels opened fire immediately; and the effect was ter- 
rific. 



DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 11 

In Fort Jackson the barracks were set on fire soon after the bombani- 
ment opened. The guns were frequently silenced, the men being terror- 
stricken by the shells which were exploding all around them. It w.is 
observed that the shells were bursting in the air, in consequence of the bad- 
ness of the fuses. The fuses were, therefore, put in full length, to delay the 
explosion. The change had the desired effect. The shells, penetrating the 
^ earth eighteen or twenty feet, and then exploding, tearing up the ground and 
scattering it all around, had the effect of a constantly repeating earthquake. 
The firing from the forts, in spite of all this, was kept up with great energy, 
shot and shell coming crashing through the woods and tearing up the trees 
by the roots. 

During the first twenty-four hours fifteen hundred bombs mu.st have been 
flung by Porter's mortars, the enemy replying with equal spirit; and for six 
weary days and nights this terrible work went on. No such continued and 
heavy fighting had been witnessed since the days of Nelson. At the distance 
of half a mile from the scene of action, window panes were broken by the 
concussion ; and fish, stunned by the dreadful explosions, were floating about 
on the surface of the water. 

Determined to Run Past the Forts. 

On the third day of the bombardment, Farragut, seeing that no decisive 
results were likely to be attained unless bolder measures were adopted, called 
a council and announced his determination to cut the barricade, run the gaunt- 
let of the forts, and pass up to the city of New Orleans in spite of their guns. 
Butler was at hand, with at least ten thousand troops, ready to land and assist 
in the capture of the forts, all his transports, with the exception of the Great 
Republic, having entered the Mississippi on the i8th. If this movement was 
to be carried out, the first thing to be done was to remove the obstructions 
from the river. On the night of the 20th, therefore, under cover of the dark- 
ness, a fierce north wind blowing at the time. Commander Bell, with the Pinola 
and Itaska, supported by the Iroquois, Kennebec and Winona, ran up to the 
boom. 

The reason why Dewey's ship was not assigned to this work was because 
of her being a side-wheeler, and therefore less easily handled and not so well 
suited to the undertaking as other vessels. 

The Pinola attempted, but unsuccessfully, to blow up one of the hulks, 
by means of a petard. The Itaska was lashed to the iuilk adjoining. A 
rocket thrown up from Fort Jackson revealed her presence, and a heavy fire 
was immediately opened upon her from the fortress. Nothing daunted, the 
men kept at their work ; and by means of cold chisel.s, hammers, sledges an*' 



42 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

saws, the chain was cut. The river being in full flood, the powerful current 
swung around both hulk and gunboat, the latter being grounded in the mud 
in shallow water. The Pinola came promptly to the rescue, and after some 
difficulty succeeded in carrying her consort back in safety to the fleet. Some 
two hours afterwards a fire-raft came blazing down the stream. It was caught, 
however, in time, and rendered harmless. Meantime the firing never ceases, 
either on board the mortar-boats or in the forts; and night after night those 
blazing fire-rafts are let loose on their errands of destruction. There were nc 
signs as yet that the forts would surrender. One thousand shells at least had 
burst within Fort Jackson ; twenty-five thousand had been hurled against il 
yet General Duncan could say: "God is certainly protecting us. WearestiL 
cheerful, and have an abiding faith in our ultimate success." 

A Night Famous In History. 

The arrangements for the onward movement up the river were now com- 
pleted. The chain was broken ; and Farragut was ready. On the night of 
the 23d the Itaska, which had run up to the boom, signalled that all was right 
— that the channel was clear, with the exception of the hulks, which, with 
care, might be easily passed. The fleet had been arranged in three divisions, 
under Farragut, Captain Bell, and Captain Theodorus Bailey. Six gunboats 
were to engage the water-battery below Fort Jackson, but were not to pro- 
ceed further. Farragut had charge of the first division, which consisted of the 
three large ships, the Hartford (flagship), the Richmond and the Brooklyn. 
This division was to keep to the right bank of the river and fight Fort Jack- 
son. The second division was under Bailey, and was composed of the Pensa- 
cola, Mississippi, Oneida, Varuna, Katahdin, Kineo, Wissahickon and Ports- 
mouth. This division was to keep to the left bank and fight Fort St. Philip. 
The third division, which comprised the Scioto, Winona, Iroquois, Pinola, 
Itaska and Kennebec, was under Bell, who Avas ordered to press on ne- 
glectful of the forts, and attack the Confederate fleet above. At one o'clock 
on the morning of the 24th all hands were called, hammocks stowed, and 
everything put in readiness to weigh anchor at two o'clock. The night was 
dark, and a heavy fog rested upon the river. 

All the men on board the ships were on the tiptoe of expectation. Our 
young lieutenant was cool and courageous, and it is safe to say that among 
all the men engaged in this celebrated battle no one was more quick to obey 
orders, or more active in the duty assigned than George Dewey. 

At two o'clock precisely two red lights were hung out. They were the 
signal for going into action. In less than an hour, the whole fleet was under 
^■iy. There was an ominous silence at the forts, as if they were fully aware 



DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IX THE CIVH, WAR. 43 

of what was going on, and were preparing to give the fleet a warm reception. 
Meanwhile Porter's boats had opened a terrific fire, literally filling the air 
with shells, and making night hideous with their noise. As if redoubling 
their efforts, the men kept up the firing with unceasing vigor until Farragut's 
vessels were all fairly in the heat of the conflict. The waning crescent of 
the moon revealed itself just as Farragut, struggling with the fierce current 
safely passed the broken chain, its pale light blending strangely with the 
fierce glare of the hissing shells. As the vessels under his care slovMy but 
steadily approached Fort Jackson, Farragut, from the fore-rigging of the 
Hartford, eagerly watched, with the help of his night-glciss, the movements 
of Bailey and Bell. 

When within a little over a mile of Fort Jackson, the guns of both forts 
opened upon him with great force and with singular precision of aim. Far- 
ragut was in no haste to reply, although the Haitford was hit several times. 
Drawing closer and closer, and waiting fully fifteen minutes after the first 
volley had been aimed at him, he began with two heavy guns which he had 
mounted on the forecastle ; and then, when within half a mile of Fort Jack- 
son, and having that work fairly within range, he sheered around and poured 
forth such broadsides of grape and canister that no living thing could stand 
before them. The men were driven from the barbette guns, and the wildest 
confusion prevailed. 

The Battle Rages with Fury. 

The firing from the casemates continued ; and the conflict raged with 
tremendous fury. The Richmond, which had successfully pa-^sed the barri- 
cade, soon came up and took part in the fight. The Brooklyn had been less 
fortunate. In passing through the opening made by the breaking of the 
chain, she became entangled with one of the hulks ; and while in this posi- 
tion she was exposed at once to the fire of the forts and to attacks from the 
Confederate ironclads. Scarcely was the Brooklyn extricated from this peril 
when the iron ram Manassas came down upon her with great fury, firing 
from the trap-door a heavy bolt at the Brooklyn's steam drum. Happily the 
shot lodged in some sand bags and did no harm. 

The next moment the ram butted into the ship's starboard ; but the im- 
petus was insufficient to make any impression on the Brooklyn, whose sides 
were bound round and round with chain armor. As the Manassas glided 
away and was lost in the darkness, and while still under the fire of Fort Jack- 
son, the Brooklyn encountered another steamer. The struggle with this one 
was short and sharp. One heart)- broadside, at the distance of fifty or sixty 
yards, and the strange vessel was no more. The Brooklyn was then abreast 



44 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

of Fort St. Philip, and her guns were within easy range. " I had the satis- 
faction," said Captain Craven, in his report, " of completely silencing that 
work before I left it, my men in the tops witnessing, in the flashes of the burst- 
ing shrapnel, the enemy running like sheep for more comfortable quarters." 

Farragut, meanwhile, was having enough to do on board the Hartford. 
While engaged with the forts, a huge fire-raft was pushed against him by the 
Manassas. In attempting to avoid the blazing raft, the Hartford ran aground, 
and in a moment, the incendiary having come crashing alongside of her, the 
ship was in flames on the port side and half way up to the main and mizzen 
tops. While the flames raged, the Hartford did not discontinue her cannon- 
ading. "All the time," says Farragut, "we were pouring shells into the 
forts, and they into us, and now and then a rebel steamer would get under 
our fire and receive our salutation of a broadside." The flames were soon 
extinguished ; and the Hartford, being released, sailed up the stream. Half 
an hour more and Farragut had successfully passed through the fiery storm, 
having done his work effectually as he moved along. 

Between the Fire of Two Forts. 

Bailey, with his second division, had had, if possible, even a harder ex- 
perience ; but his success was scarcely less marked. In crossing the river 
obstructions he encountered the fire of both forts ; and scarcely had he passed 
through, when, owing to the great speed of the Cayuga, he found himself 
ahead of his friends and alone in the midst of the Confederate fleet. His 
situation was one of extreme peril. The Manassas, the floating battery 
Louisiana, and at least sixteen other armed vessels, all turned upon him, and 
his vessel seemed doomed. The swiftness of the ship came to his aid, and 
he handled her with exquisite skill. While completely successful in so keep- 
ing out of the way of the Confederate ironclads that they could neither butt 
nor board him, he so used his guns that he compelled three of them to sur- 
render before any aid came to him. 

Meanwhile the Varuna, Captain Boggs, and the Oneida, Captain Lee, 
came up and engaged the enemy. The Cayuga had been hit forty-two times, 
and was so damaged that Bailey deemed it prudent to retire. The Varuna 
was the next object of attack. Boggs found himself, all at once, after passing 
the forts, as he said in his report, " amid a nest of rebel steamers." The brave 
captain did not hesitate as to what he should do. Rushing at once into the 
midst of them, he " worked both his sides, loaded with grape," producing 
terrible havoc among the Confederate ships, which were strangely over- 
crowded. " An explosion, terrific yells, a careen, and that fellow is done forr" 
3uch is the language of an eye-witness, 



DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 45 

And so the fearful work goes on, until the Varunu has sunk, one after 
another, six of the enemy's vessels. Meanwhile she was badly hurt herself. 
The heavy shot of the ironclads had told on her rigging and on her timbers. 
One raking discharge from one of them had killed four and wounded nine of 
iier men. Four times she had been butted b)' the powerful rams of her an- 
tagonists. The last time she was struck her side was crushed in ; but before, 
the ram could get out of her way, she put through her unarmored stern fivq 
8-inch shells " that settled her, and she went ashore in flames." In fifteen 
minutes after she was struck, the Varuna went to the bottom ; but in the) 
interval she had settled her antagonist. It was noble fighting, conducted in 
the true spirit of the sea kings of ancient times. 

Kept Up the Fight to the Last. 

The Moore was the last vessel which the Varuna had to encounter. Badly 
disabled as the Varuna was, Boggs kept up the fight, with his vessel aground 
and her bow tied to the trees. It was not until the water was up over the 
gun-trucks that the captain gave his attention to the saving of his men. 
Happily all the survivors, including the wounded, were got out and saved 
before the vessel went down. At the last moment the Oneida, Captain Lee, 
came up to the aid of the sinking Varuna. Boggs " waved him on " after the 
Moore, which was in flames, but trying to get away. In a little while the 
Moore was surrendered to the Oneida by the second officer, the captain hav- 
ing fled, after setting the vessel on fire. But for her timely capture, fifty of 
her men, maimed and wounded, must have perished in the flames. 

Bell had been less fortunate than either Farragut or Bailey in bringing 
his ships into action and accomplishing the ta.sk assigned him. The Scioto, 
Iroquois, and Pinola passed the forts; but the Itaska, being disabled, drifted 
down the river. The Winona recoiled from the terrible fire which had 
proved fatal to her companion. The Kennebec got entangled in attempting 
to pass the obstructions, and finally, having lost her way in the darkness, 
returned to her moorings. 

The fight was now ended. It had been as brief as it had been desperate. 
It was little more than an hour and a half since the fleet had left its moor- 
ings; and in that brief space of time all that it was intended to do had been 
successfully accomplished. The forts had been passed and the Confederate 
navy was destroyed. 

Such was the great naval battle in which Dewey received his first bap- 
tism of fire. It was enough to try his nerves and tell the kind of stuff of 
which he was made. His superiors assert that no one on that notable day 
acted his part more heroically, and who can tell but the lesson taught him by 



DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 47 

our old iron Admiral, Farragut, helped him to win at Manila the superb vic- 
tory with which his name will hereafter ever be associated? Captain 11. II. 
Bell, captain of the fleet, reported to Farragut of the fight: 

" I witnessed the decisive manner in which the noble old steamship Mis- 
sissippi, Commodore Melancthon Smith, mot that ' pigmy monster,' the 
Manassas, the Confederate armored ram. The Mississippi made at her, but 
the Manassas sheered off to avoid the collision and landed on the shore, 
where her crew escaped over the roof, the Mississippi pelting her meanwhile 
with her heavy guns." Commodore Smith, of the Mississippi, reported to 
Farragut, referring to this combat " in terms of praise to the conduct of all the 
officers and men " under his command, adding that " all the vessels under 
fire did their utmost to subdue the enemy and destroy his defenses," and that 
it was " unnecessary to enter into any further details of the exploits performed 
by the Mississippi, as we all must share alike in the honor of your victory." 
But the commander of this ship made a special mention — the only one in his 
report — in these words : 

" I have nmch pleasure in mentioning the efficient service rendered by 
Executive Officer George Dewey, who kept the vessel in her station during 
the engagement, a task exceedingly difficult from the darkness and thick 
smoke, that enveloped us from the fire of our own vessels, and the burning 
gunboats." 

Thus it will be seen that Officer Dewey distinguished himself on this 
occasion and received special mention and praise from the commander of the 
ship to which he was attached. He showed the same heroic qualities which 
afterward made him conspicuous as a naval commander and which were 
especially exhibited in the great sea-fight at Manila. 

He received his first training under Admiral Farragut, and certainly he 
could not have had a better instructor or a grander example to follow. 




CHAPTER IV. 

Thrilling Incidents of Dewey's First Battle. 

MINUTE account of the part performed in the capture of Neu 
Orleans by the ship on which Dewey was a minor officer, will be 
of interest to the reader. The general character and thrilling inci- 
dents of the battle have already been described, but other transac- 

Lions with which Dewey was closely connected will portray his valor. These 

should be here described, even at the risk of traversing some of the ground 

surveyed in the preceding chapter. 

To go back then to the beginning, when Fort Sumter was fired on Dewey 

was in Montpelier. But he did not stay there. His Yankee blood was up. 

Just one week later— April 19, 1861 — he was commissioned lieutenant and 

was assigned at once to the steam sloop Mississippi, which was to take part in 

the fierce fighting of the West Gulf squadron. 

Ship on wliicli He Fought. 

The sloop of war Mississippi was a side-wheel steamer of seventeen 
guns. Her commander was Melancthon Smith. The Western Gulf blockad- 
ing squadron was under command of Captain David G. Farragut, and the 
vessels that assembled at the mouth of the Mississippi river in March, 1862, 
consisted of four new sloops, the Hartford, Pensacola, Brooklyn and Rich- 
mond; one side-wheel steamer, the Mississippi; three screw corvettes, ihe 
Oneida, Varuna and Iroquois, and nine screw gunboats, the Cayuga, Itasca, 
Katahdin, Kennebec, Kineo, Pinola, Sciota, Winona, and Wissahickon. On 
April 7th the Pensacola and the Mississippi, after several attempts, were 
dragged through the mud by powerful auxiliary tugs and steamers into the 
mouth of the great river. They were two of the heaviest vessels that had 
ever entered the Mississippi. 

The first obstacle to the progress of the fleet up the Mississippi was at 
Plaquemine Bend, ninety miles below New Orleans, where, on the banks of 
the river, permanent fortifications existed, the one on the left called Fort St. 
Philip, and the one on the right called Fort Jackson. In Fort St. Philip were 
no less than forty-two guns commanding the river, besides two mortars and 
a battery of four sea-coast mortars, situated below the water battery. Fort 
Jackson had sixty-two guns and a water battery. But these guns, although 
many in number, were small in calibre. Out of 100 guns in the two works, 
48 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 49 

j6 of them were 24-pounders. In addition to the forts the Confederates had 
fourteen vessels and a steam ram, as a defense fleet, above the forts. 

Farragut's fleet moved slowly and cautiously up the river, and on April 
1 8th, at 10 o'clock in the morning, the bombardment of the two forts began. 
Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson replied with heavy shot, and before noon 
two of the vessels dropped out of the firing line. The flotilla continued firing 
until 6 P. M., when they ceased by signal. On the following day the signal 
was renewed. 

The bombardment continued for three days without noteworthy incident. 
In the forts the quarters were burned and the magazines endangered. The 
garrison of Fort Jackson were compelled to live in the casements, which were 
practically flooded from the high state of the river. On the night of April 23d, 
the vessels of Farragut's squadron, stripped of every spare rope and spar, 
formed in single line. At 2 o'clock the flagship hoisted the signal and tht 
fleet started to run past the fort, the Cayuga leading. The Pcnsacola fol- 
lowed, with the Mississippi, on board of which was young Lieutenant Dewey, 
the third in line. Then came the Oneida, the Varuna and the others. The 
Confederate fire commenced as the Pensacola passed the forts. 

Dewey's Ship Struck by the Confederate Ram. 

The Mississippi followed, and as the old side-wheeler came abreast of 
Fort St. Philip the rebel ram Manassas, coming down stream, charged at her, 
striking on the port side near the mizzen mast, at the same time firing her 
single gun. The jar caused the ship to list slightly, and the blow, a glancing 
stroke, only inflicted a wound seven feet long and four inches deep. At this 
point the current of the river caught the Mississippi on her starboard bow and 
carried her across to the Fort Jackson side of the stream. Abreast of St. 
Philip the vessel drew so close to shoic that the gunners on land, and those 
afloat, cursed each other as they looked. At daybreak the Union fleet 
anchored five miles above the forts, and early the next morning proceeded up 
the river. 

The fleet attack on the river forts, called the battle of New Orleans, 
practically decided the fate of that city. On April 25th the fleet anchored 
opposite the city, where the levees were ablaze and ships on fire, and every- 
thiner ashore was in utter confusion. Marines were sent ashore and the 
public buildings guarded until the arrival of General Butler on May ist. 
Port Hudson was at a bend in the river, where there were bluffs a hundred 
feet high. The Confederates had mounted nineteen heavy guns on the east 
bank. On the opposite shore, just below the bend, a dangerous shore was 

located. 
4-D 



60 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 



Commander Farragut's purpose in moving on Port Hudson was simply 
to pass the bluff batteries, in order to blockade the river above the bend. He 
had with him the flagship Hartford, the Monongahela, the Mississippi, the 
Richmond, Genesee, Albatross and Kineo. It was lo o'clock at night, March 
14, 1863, that the signal to advance was given, and the ships weighed anchor 
in the following order : Hartford, Richmond, Monongahela, Mississippi, with 
the smaller boats, the Albatross, Kineo and Genesee accompanying the first 
three vessels named. 




PORT HUDSON. 

The Hartford and the Albatross led the way, were attacked with loss of 
life and put back. The Richmond and her consort, the Genesee, met with no 
better success, and after being damaged were compelled to turn down stream, 
with three killed and fifteen wounded. The Monongahela and the Kineo 
came next, the last being injured and turning about, while the Monongahela 
went aground, finally getting free, drifting down stream, with a loss of six. 
killed and twenty-one wounded. Then came the Mississippi, steaming ahead 
to meet a worse fate, while Lieutenant George Dewey, with the others of her 
crew, were to fight not only for their flag and their country, but for their lives 
in the muddy waters of the river of rivers. 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 61 

It is rather a coincidence that young Dewey should have been commisi 
sioncd to go with Farragut, to sail by the Admiral's flag in the most strategic 
warfare that America had ever had on sea, and that this same Dewey should be 
the next admiral in the United States Navy after Farragut, after a lapse of 
nearly thirty-five years. The great old Admiral could never have wished to 
see the signs and symbols fall upon a worthier head than George Dewey's. 
His is the quiet, commanding, superbly courageous temperament that F.ir- 
ragut admired. 

Every one knows the story of a lieutenant's signal to P^arragut on the 
flagship: "There are torpedoes ahead; we can't get in the harbor," and 
Farragut's terse reply when he damned the torpedoes and sailed calmly over 
them. So his spirit must have been delighted when looking down upon his 
first successor and his old pupil, he saw the smile on Dewey's face as the 
Spanish mines exploded on every side of the Olympia : " So," said the Com- 
modore, " they have some pretty good mines after all," and kept the Olympia 
on her course. 

No man who fought with Farragut had to wait until the Spanish war to 
have known all that was worst and horrible in fighting. 

Officer Dewey in the Storm of Battle. 

Fearful as the fire from the shore batteries of Manila was, George Dewey 
had received a worse baptism when he tried to run up the Mississippi River 
under Farragut in 1862, forcing the harbor of New Orleans. No man who 
went through that day could ever live to see a worse day until his death. 
Every one knows what Farragut did when he tried to force a passage up the 
great river that second year of the war. Whatever the Confeders,tes had 
done in the way of fierce fighting they did then. 

In 1862 Dewey had his first test of Spanish strategy and Spanish fire, 
for the Creoles of New Orleans were a graft of the same people he A)ught on 
May ist, 1898. 

In the battle of Manila Dewey fired his shells at a 4000-yard line from 
the Spanish fleet and the foes could be well distinguished with a field glass, 
but on that day in 1862 as Dewey's ship, the Mississippi, was passing P'ort 
Philip, it was subjected to such a raking fire from the Confederate artiller)- at 
such close range that the veterans tell to-day how men on board the ships 
and those in the forts kept up a running fire of cursing compliments to each 
other, which was entirely audible to ever}' one on the river and on the land. 

One year later Dewey received his first recognition for individual L»iaver} . 
The Mississippi, his boat, was trying to pass Fort Hudson on the rivci in the 
middle of the nigrht. Such was Farragut's orders that all lights were extin 



52 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 

guished, and the desire was to slip by so that the enemy would not even 
know of the presence of the boat. 

Dewey gave an order on this night which showed his strategy and fore- 
thought. He made the men whitewash the decks of the ship, so the gunners 
ivould be able to see without lights should the land batteries open up on the 
sloop. The Confederates never slept, and the Mississippi was discovered 
very quickly. She was riddled with shot from the fort and she soon caught fire. 

Yet there was no lack of bravery on the Federal side ; rather v/as there 
a desperate valor displayed by the men on board the Mississippi, such as 
might be expected from sailors commanded by officers of the Dewey type. 
His act of ordering the decks of his vessel whitewashed had a suggestion of 
the Yankee about it, the act of a young officer who had his wits about him 
and was watching every opportunity to thwart and defeat the enemy. 

Great Tact and Resources. 

That Dewey showed on this occasion the qualities that afterward distin- 
guished him is plain to every reader of the thrilling story. If his ship were 
lighted up it would instantly become a mark for the batteries on shore, yet 
the sailors could not work in darkness. It was a happy project to whiten the 
decks of the ship in order by the reflection of the white surface to aid the 
men who were making such heroic efforts to escape the shells of the foe. 

Other things being equal, the man who can think best and quickest in 
the hour of danger, meeting every emergency with consummate strategy, is 
the one who will wrest victory from even apparent defeat. Dewey has shown 
that he has no superior in tact and in ability to meet every crisis presenting 
itself His ready resources were conspicuously displayed at Manila, when he 
gave his orders with the utmost coolness and deliberation, meeting every 
new crisis in the battle with the genius of a master. 

Some historians say the Confederates sent out floating drifts of kerosene- 
soaked wood, so that it was impossible for the sloop to get out of their way 
and she caught fire. Others say that in half an hour 250 shots had struck 
the ship, and her crew, seeing that they had to abandon her, fired her before 
dropping over the sides. Whichever it was, the Mississippi was riddled and 
burning, and worst of all ran aground. 

Orders were given to officers and men to leave as quickly as possible 
and make their way to the opposite shore, hoping for protection from the 
enemy's shells by the burning ship. Orders to leave were imperative, and 
every man knew what was behind the haste, that it would be only a few 
moments before the flames reached the magazine of the Mississippi. 

Although Dewey was only lieutenant he was the last man to leave the 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 53 

ship. He stood there quietly, helping every one else to leave, waiting till 
every person was off before he dropped into the water and swam across. 
This was bravery, but it was duty; this was supreme courage, but it is what 
the world always expects of the men in the army and navy. Fine as this was 
it was not the reason for his promotion. The reason was this: as each one 
of the crew jumped overboard on the dark side to swim to shore the e.xplo- 
sion of the unintermittcnt shells made every movement dangerous. 

The waters of the Mississippi, which is at the best a treacherous river, 
were being fairly churned into fountains of foam by the shot and shell, and 
the exploding hot metal was running into the water at every seeming inch ol 
space. In the midst of all this a sailor who jumped overboard was struck. 
He was too wounded to catch his swimmiag pace as he struck the water. 
Lieutenant Dewey saw this incident in all the darkness and fearful noise, and 
without hesitation he jumped overboard, put his arm around the wounded 
sailor, held him until he got his strength again, and helped him into shallow 
water. Then he went back to his ship and remained there until every man 
had left. This was an action after Farragut's heart, and the admiral instantly 
mentioned him for promotion. Dewey was hardly out of swimming reach ol 
the ship when the magazine exploded. 

Last to Leave the Burning Ship. 

Admiral Porter, in his " Naval History of the Civil War," thus describes 
the end of the old side-wheeler Mississippi : 

." Captain Smith gave the order to spike the port battery and throw the 
guns overboard, but it was not done, for the enemy's fire was becoming so 
rapid and severe that the captain deemed it judicious to abandon the ship at 
once in order to save the lives of the men. The ship was first set on fire in 
the forward store-room, but three shots came through below her water-line 
and put out the flames. She was then set on fire in four places aft, and when 
the flames were well under way, so as to make her destruction certain. Cap- 
tain Smith and his first lieutenant, George Dewey, left the ship, all the 
officers and crew having been landed before." 

A marine on the ill-fated Mississippi relates the following .stor>' of the 
disaster: 

" The crew were told to save themselves. Lieutenant Dewey could have 
escaped easily, as he was a bold, powerful swimmer, hut ho was too unselfish 
to think of him.self so long as any of his comrades were in danger. Not far 
from him he spied a seaman who was trj'ing his best to keep above water 
after his right arm had been paralyzed by a bullet. Dewey struck right out 



54 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 

/or him and gave him a Hft till they reached a floating spar. Then the 
wounded man was towed ashore in safety." 

The year of 1863 was not to be ended without another great fight, for 
Dewey was on one of the gunboats at the engagement at Donaldsonville. 
There he learned some lessons in fighting strategy again. In 1864 and 1865 
he was in command of the Agawam and was in the battle at Fort Fisher. ^ 
In March, 1865, the administration sent him the commission of lieutenant- 
commander. Although Lieutenant Dewey was perfectly willing to risk his 
life for a sailor he was equally willing to punish him when he deserved it. 

It is nothing against Dewey that there is rome iron in his composition, 
and he is the last man to be imposed upon. There are men who are very 
polite and gentlemanly always, and you see only the mild side of their char- 
acters until there is something to awaken their spirit and arouse their sterner 
qualities. All accounts agree that Dewey knows how to put his foot down 
witii a ton's force when occasion demands it. What would any other sort of 
man be fit for in the United States navy? There must be order, which is 
Heaven's first law ; there must be discipline, which is the making of a soldier. 
No weak Dewey could have commanded that Asiatic squadron of ours. 

And what he was on the day of his great victory was but an expansion 
and development of what he was when he went forth at the call of his country 
during the Civil War. It is pleasant to look back and take his picture in 
those early days. He submitted to the most rigid discipline without com- 
plamt; he entered upon the discharge of the most difficult duties without 
seeking to escape the labor and responsibility involved ; he was ready for the 
most heroic sacrifice. 

Dewey Engaged in Patrol Service. 

After the loss of the Mississippi Lieutenant Dewey was transferred to 
one of the smaller gunboats in Admiral Farragut's squadron, which patrolled 
the river from Cairo to Vicksburg during May and June. Vicksburg surren- 
dered July 4, 1863, and the Mississippi was open from Cairo to the Gulf. 
Admiral Porter was given command of the river down to New Orleans, while 
Farragut was ordered to confine himself to the coast blockade. Early in 
1864 Lieutenant Dewey \yas transferred to the North Atlantic blockading 
squadron, and assigned to the gunboat Agawam, an unarmored side- wheel 
steamer of 974 tons, carrying eight guns. Dewey was made executive officer 
of the vessel. 

While attached to the North Atlantic squadron Lieutenant Dewey par- 
ticipated in the famous attack on Fort Fisher. It was on December i8th that 
the largest fleet that had ever sailed under the Union flag proceeded to rendez- 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 56 

I'cus twenty-five miles east of Fort Fisher. The fleet moved on December 
23d, and engaged the forts. On the second day of the bombardment the 
majority of the vessels withdrew to Beaufort for ammunition and coal. The 
attack was renewed on January 12, 1865, and continued for several days. The 
final assault was made on January 15th both by land and sea, the success 
of the battle being one of the well-known Union victories of the Civil 
War. 

On March 3, 1S65, Lieutenant Dewey was promoted to the rank of lieu- 
tenant commander, and was assigned to duty on the famous old sloop Kcar- 
sarge, which carried seven guns. Lieutenant-Commander Dewey was ordered 
home from the European station early in 1867, and was assigned to duty at 
the Kittery Navy Yard at Portsmouth, N. H. 

While in Portsmouth he first met the young woman who captured his 
heart, and whom he married October 24, 1867. She was Miss Susan B. 
Goodwin, a daughter of Ichabod Goodwin, the war Governor of New Hamp- 
shire, and known far and wide as "Fighting Governor Goodwin." 

Promoted to the Rank of Comniander. 

Shortly after their marriage Dewey was assigned to duty at the Naval 
Academy at Annapolis. Two years later he was placed in command of the 
Narragansett, and, on April 13, 1872, he was promoted to the rank of com- 
mander. Then came the great sorrow of the young officer's career. The 
young wife was spending a summer in Newport and preparations were being 
made for an event which it was hoped would crown with joy their wedded life. 
A son was born December 23d, but some days later, on December 28th, the 
mother died. The boy was christened George Goodwin, in honor of his proud 
grandfather, and grew to vigorous manhood. The death of his wife was a 
sad blow to the brave young commander, and his sister is the authority for 
the statement that he felt as if in no little measure his career had ended at the 
grave of his wife. 

Early in 1873 he sailed as commander of the Narragansett for the Pacific 
coast, where he was engaged in making surveys until 1876. Then he was 
recalled to Washington to be made a lighthouse inspector, and later the sec- 
j-etary of the Lighthouse Board. lie commanded the Juniata in the Asiatic 
station in 1882-83, and on the 27th of September, 1884. was made a captain 
and put in charge of the Dolphin, then one of the four new vessels which 
formed the original " white squadron." 

From 1865, after General Lee's surrender. Lieutenant Dewey's life was 
after the conventional pattern of all navy officers. He ro.se by degrees- but 
had one or two pleasant assignments which kept his nickname a " The 



66 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 

Lucky" before his associates' minds. From 1865 he served on the Kearsarge 
and Colorado as heutenant-commander. 

W. W. Stone, who was ship's writer on board the cruiser Colorado when 
Admiral Dewey and Commodore Watson were lieutenant-commanders on 
that vessel, can tell many stories about those two celebrities. Admiral Golds- 
borough was in command of the Colorado. His valet, John, who at one 
time was President Lincoln's servant, was a witty but bungling Irishman. 
'Stone's best story centres around this quaint character. 

One morning Admiral Goldsborough sent down word to John that he 
wanted his glass, meaning, of course, his spyglass. John, as usual, however, 
misunderstood, and came tramping up the bridge with a goblet in his hand. 

" John, you're the devil's own valet," growled the admiral when he saw 
him coming. 

" Faith, sor, I didn't think I'd come to that same whin I tuk service wid 
ye, sor." 

" Throw that blamed goblet overboard and go and get me my spyglass, 
as I told you, you infernal idiot ! " 

" Yes, sor," said John, calmly tossing the glass over the side, and in 
doing so narrowly escaped dashmg it upon the upturned face of our executive 
officer, Lieutenant-Commander George Dewey. Mr. Dewey was on a tour of 
inspection, circling the frigate in one of the cutters. The Colorado had just 
arrived from Trieste. The passage down the Adriatic Sea had been a stormy 
one, and the painstaking executive wanted to see for himself how the old ship 
looked after her battle with the waves. 

"Go below, you Blundering Irishman." 

It was a lovely Spring Sunday morning. We had dropped anchor in 
the beautiful Bay of Naples, and I had crept up into the mizzen-top to drink 
in with boyish zest the delights of our glorious surroundings. Off our beams 
lay Ischia and Capri, standing like stern Roman sentinels, on guard at the 
horns of the bay. Ahead lay the Campanila ; from its centre rises old 
Vesuvius, from whose grim apex I could see floating upward a hazy wreath 
significant of the unrest beneath. I watched the old admiral with a great 
deal of interest ; had I been a kodak fiend I should, then and there, have for- 
feited my appointment by taking a snapshot at the irate officer as he glared at 
the sleek, unconcerned menial. 

" Go below, you blundering Irishman, before I have you tossed over after 
the glass!" The man disappeared with just the suspicion of a smirk on his 
innocent-looking face. 

" Mr. Dewey would like to have you find out, sir, who is heaving rrock- 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 57 

ery over the side of the ship, sir." This came from one of the crew of the 
cutter; he had come up with the order and spoke to Lieutenant-Commander 
John Crittenden Watson, at the time officer of the deck. The admiral over- 
heard the message of the angry executive and laughed quietly. 

"Tell Mr. Dewey that it was the admiral, my man," said he, soberly; 
then turning to Mr, Watson he remarked : " He can't very well put the admi- 
ral in the brig, though I may deserve it." 

" He may look around for a substitute, admiral," answered Mr. Watson, 
smiling. 

"Oh, no, Dewey has too keen a sense of justice; besides, I remembe» 
him saying once that he had no use for substitutes," 

Dignity Assailed by a Tumbler. 

A few minutes after this Mr. Dewey himself came over the starboard 
gangway, saluting the admiral with rather a haughty air. You see, a ten- 
pounder may spin merrily past a fellow's head aboard a man-o'-war, and serve 
merely as a hook on which to hang the old-time jest about a " miss being as 
good as a mile," but when a plain matter-of-fact, plebeian tumbler shoots past 
you, contrary to the articles of war, and in direct violation of established 
naval etiquette, the circumstance that you have escaped mutilation is only an 
excrescence alongside of the glaring fact that your dignity has been ver>' vio- 
lently assaulted. 

The admiral looked down and took in the situation. Descending to the 
quarterdeck he approached Dewey and said with a fricrwdly air : " I say, 
Dewey, did you ever read ' Handy Andy ? ' " 

"Yes, sir," rather shortly. 

" Well, now, I must have his cousin aboard ;" and the admiral related 
the glass incident. The two laughed over the blunder, Mr. Dewey having 
recovered his usual good nature by this time. 

" You see, Dewey, I have a sort of interest in the fellow; the secretary 
recommended him to me as a good, faithful serving man ; he had been attached 
to Mr. Lincoln as his personal attendant, and I took the scamp partly on that 
account. Ah, here he comes at last with my glass. John, did Mr. Lincoln 
ever score you for your awkwardness ? " 

" No, sor, he niver did ; many the time he tould me that it wor a mercy 
that we were thegither, because, said he, his mind were taken off affairs of 
state by thinking did he wurruk harder tcllin' me how to do things than if he 
wint and did them himself." 

" Doubtless, doubtless," said the admiral, laughing. 

" I want you to remember, John," said Mr. Dewey, severely, " that it ic 



58 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 

strictly against the rules of this ship to throw anything over the sides. You 
came very near striking me in the head with your glass-tossing." 

" That were a pity, sor." 

" A pity ! " exclaimed Dewey, savagely, " by Jim, I'd have come up and 
had you strung up at the mainyard arm, like a dog." 

" No, sor, axin' yer pardon, I hope not." 

" What's that ? " roared the admiral, angrily. 

" Throth, sor, d'ye mind, the mornin' tellin' me that ye was to do the 
thinkin' an' I was to obey orders, even if I bruk owners ? " 

Another Anecdote of Dewey. 

The two laughed heartily at this hit, and John went below with flying 

colors. 

" I was with Commodore Dewey when he was the executive officer of 
the Colorado," said a financier, " and I remember one incident which shows 
the manner of man he is. We had a fine crew, some of them as powerful 
men as I ever saw. Four or five of them went ashore one day and came 
back fighting drunk. 

" The order was given to put them in irons, and it was found impossible 
to carry out the order, for the men were dangerous. Dewey was notified of 
the situation. He was writing a letter in his room at the time. 

" He went to the place where these giants were, and he told them to 
tfome out and submit to the irons. They did not stir. Then Dewey said 
quietly to an orderly: 'Bring me my revolvers.' And when he had his 
pistols he again called upon the men to come out and they did not move. 
Then he said : ' I am going to count three, if you are not out here with your 
hands held up on the third count you won't come out of that place alive.' 

" He counted one, then he cocked the revolvers, and counted two. We 
all expected to bef?r the report, for we knew that Dewey meant what he said. 
The men kne'v it, too. They stepped out just in time to save their lives and 
held up their hands, and they had been partially sobered by their fright and 
the moral effect of Dewey's glance. 

" One of them said afterward that when he saw Dewey's eyes he knew 
that he would either be a dead jackey in a moment or he would have to yield, 
and when the irons were put upon him he was as sober as he ever was in his 
life. Dewey went back to his room and finished the letter he was writing." 

In 1867 he was attached to the Naval Academy on shore duty, which 
position he retained until 1870. He was then transferred to the Narragansett 
of which ship he had charge for five years. During that time he rose to the 
position of commander. 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 5g 

In 1876 came his shore duty again, and Ii : was attached to the Light- 
house Board, and in 18S2 he went on sea duty in the Asiatic Squadron as 
commander of the Juanita. Other commanders envied him his next posi- 
tion, for he was made captain of the Dolphin. This boat was the first vessel 
of O'jr new navy and was built in 1884 and used as a coast dispatch boat. 

He only remained here a year, however, before he was transferred to the 
'Pensacola, tiie flagship of the European Squadron. One interesting story is' 
told of him while in command of that vessel. While the boat was at Malta 
a number of sailors went on shore and engaged in a street brawl. Ar alarm 
was turned in, but the navvies succeeded in escaping to their ships. The 
next morning the captain of the port came out to the Pensacola to complain 
to Captain Dewey of the actions of his sailors. 

" What can I do ? " asked Dewey. 

" Why, your men raised a riot on shore, and you can assist me in arrest- 
ing and punishing them," was the reply. 

The American captain was very courteous in the expression of regret 
that sailors of the Pensacola should be lawless when on shore leave, but 
could see no way in which he might assist his visitor in searching out the 
guilty ones. The reply of the naval officer angered the redcoat, who said, 
somewhat peremptorily : " You certainly can parade your crew before me in 
order that the rioters may be identified." 

Looking aloft and pointing to the Stars and Stripes waving at the mast- 
head, Dewey made reply: " The deck of this vessel is United States territory, 
and I'll parade my men for no foreigner that ever drew breath." 

Chief of the Bureau of Equipment. 

Dewey remained in command of the European Squadron until 1888, 
when he was again transferred to shore duty. His first assignment was as 
chief of the Bureau of Equipment ; then he served on the Lighthouse Board, 
and then, in 1896, he was made commodore. Under this title he was placed 
at the head of the Inspection Board. Commodore Dewey's health in the 
summer of 1897 was not very good. 

It was never of the best, and when on shore duty the fearful heat of this 
summer prostrated him. He was fast approaching the age limit for active 
service in the navy and was getting very much shattered by the continued 
shore duty, as his presence was constantly demanded by his position on the 
Inspection Board, 

"Just take one more cruise," urged his friends. "The limit of service 
will soon be over, and if you take one more cruise in healthful waters you 
may recover your health entirely." That Dewey made this cruise we all 



60 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 

know, but the reasons for this cruise, the methods and manner of getting it 
are very interesting stories to liste;. to among naval circles and down in 
Washington. It is hard to tell whicA is the true story, but every one has a 
different side to tell why Dewey went to China. Some say his assignment to 
the Asiatic squadron was for the reason just given, that his health was very 
poor and his time limit for active service so close at hand that four years on 
the water would do him good. 

Others say that Dewey's position was wanted by other men in the ser- 
vice, who were thought to be stronger, more determined in action, more bril- 
liant in daring. The winter of 1897-98 was as filled with rumors of war as 
the year '60, when he went into the navy. There wasn't a commander who 
did not think that the bulk of the war would lie on the Atlantic Coast, and 
that great things would be done there with the Atlantic squadron. 

Dewey was very high in command, yet he was sick and nearly out of 
the service. The younger ones and more impetuous ones wanted to be made 
commanders and admirals themselves, and, so it is said that out of all the 
talking and prospecting the Navy Department was prevailed upon to send 
Commodore Dewey to a safe and far-away spot, where his few ships would 
be out of danger's way, in the background and out o^ the way of men who 
wanted to succeed him. 

Assigned to the Asiatic Squadron. 

These are rumors, all of them, but, if so, it is a delightful trick of fate 
that helped Admiral Dewey to win, for it breaks a man's heart to be sent 
away from the fire line in time of war. Roxane was full of subtle knowledge 
when she persuaded the French commander to leave Cyrano de Begerac in 
the background, when the others went to war ; but, " Man proposes and 
God disposes," as runs the old proverb, and if Dewey was sent to the back- 
ground by forethought, his was an admiral victory over human intelligence. 

There is another story which has more likelihood in it than this rumor, 
and comes with higher authority. It is this: Dewey's assignment to the 
Asiatic squadron was opposed by many who were high enough to keep him 
on shore duty, but Senator Redfiekl Proctor, who was a life-long friend of 
Dewey's, saw to it that the commodore got the cruise which his health 
seemed to need very badly. He had a very difficult operation performed at 
! this time, and Senator Proctor so presented the case to President McKinley, 
and made of it so personal a request, that the administration assigned the 
commodore to the squadron then at Hong Kong. 

During his life in Washington Commodore Dewey lived the role of a 
man of the world and of atfairs. Being a widower he spent much of his timp 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 61 

at the club, and was known to be an exquisite in dress and a man who paid 
'he greatest attention to the forms and rules of society. His grooming was 
^o perfect that his friends in the Army and Navy Corps always referred to 
him good naturedly as " Dewey the Dude." They did not mean for a mo. 
ment that he was what the word " dude " really signifies to us, for with 
Anglo-Saxons it is a term of contempt. He did not dress in loud clothes or 
extreme fashions, but he always looked as he did when a boy: just been 
unwrapped from tissue paper. 

A Social Lion in WasMngton. 

He went out socially in Washington a great deal, and was an honored 
guest at the most exclusive houses. Not only his rank as commander in the 
navy entitled him to the first invitations of the capital, but added to this dis- 
tinction he was a member of one of the first families of Vermont. He would 
have had the most exclusive doors of society opened to him had he been only 
a plain civilian. He was a member of the fashionable Metropolitan Club; 
was very fond of horses, a splendid whip, and loved his thoroughbreds as 
some men love their children. Whenever they had arrived at the age limit 
of active service he mustered them out with honor, and gave them a field of 
clover and good attention for the rest of their lives. He was always consid- 
ered a man of the world by those who knew him, and it was only through 
one of his boyhood friends that his real aversion to society was told. 

" George Dewey," said this man, " dislikes society in its ordinaiy sense 
very much. I have known him ever since he was a boy in knickerbockers^ 
Then he was shy, not fond of the girls and easily embarrassed. He is no; 
any more fond of the women to-day as a man than he was of the girls as a 
young boy, nor does he care for the round of social gayeties any more than he 
did in the early days in Montpelier, when wild horses could not drag him to 
a dance, church festival, or any merrymaking. Yet Dewey has gained the 
reputation of being a great social man because one sees him at every high 
social function in Washington, and in foreign capitals. He goes because it 
is his idea of duty. He does not want to go to anything social, but he goes 
because he is invited. He thinks if any one is kind enough to invite him it is 
his courtesy to respond to that invitation in person. He has the highest 
sense of duty of any man I ever knew, and carries it into the smallest details 
of his life. 

" Where other men who arc more used to society, and are not in the least 
shy, say, ' I won't go to this or that or the other thing, because it is too slow,* 
or ' I don t like the people,' or ' There is no fun to be had there,' or ' They are 
not worth while/ Dewey had no such reasons. He simply puts on his dress 



62 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 

suit and goes. He may stay but a minute or he may stay the whole evening 
if he finds the hostess gives him the wall flowers and dowagers to take care of. 
He always got along with the older women because they did not expect hin? 
to talk much. 

" My own impression is that Dewey also dislikes as much as the rest oi 
us to be continually dressing and keeping immaculate, but he considers it his 
duty. It is this same conception of his social obligations which leads him into 
the reputation he has gotten in Manila of going everywhere and always being 
perfectly dressed, even in the heat of battle, and of being punctilious in 
returning and paying calls due to his position, 

" A man who is not shy would not care socially whether he did the right 
thing or not. He would do it under certain regulations, but he would take 
social life more easily and ignore it when he stayed at home, not caring what 
people thought, but George Dewey is sensitive and he would not have people 
think him rude for anything in the world. But he knew how to cut the cable 
when he did not want to talk. That is another pretty good instance of Dew- 
ey's character. 

" I doubt very much," concluded his friend, " if he said twenty-five words 
during the battle of Manila. One of the things which is reported of him 
sounds as much like him as possible ; I could just hear him saying it. It was 
when the great tumbling shells came over the Olympia and the men on the 
upper deck, those who were nervous, ducked their heads as the roaring things 
came tumbling through the air, rebounding from the surface of the water. 
The Admiral stood erect on the bridge, never moving an eyelash, as he turned 
to the dodging men and said, with a smile : ' Don't dodge, boys ; they can't 
hurt you after they've passed.' " 

Ordered, to Destroy the Spanish Fleet. 

Commodore Dewey received his appointment from shore duty to the 
Pacific Squadron in January, 1898. He went at once aboard the Olympia, his 
flagship, stationed then at Hong Kong, China. Only a few weeks after this 
transferral there came the declaration of war between Spain and the United 
States. At once he was cabled the most momentous message he had ever 
received. It was from Mr. Long, Secretary of the Navy, and read: "Destroy 
or capture the Spanish fleet." War was declared on Monday ; Dewey's fleet 
sailed from the Chinese roadstead for Manila on Wednesday. 

It was the greatest summons of his life. The long-ago order from Far-' 
ragut, which had sent him following the Admiral's flag up the Mississippi 
River, was as great a nerve-thrilling experience, but there he followed ■ ihia 
day he was to lead. 



DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 68 

Who can tell what thoughts go through the brain of a man who knows the 
eyes of his country and the world are upon him for defeat or victory at a cer- 
tain hour? The best answer is probably the one made by a man experienced 
to danger and responsibility, that he is not thinking of anything except jus 
how to manage and organize that particular hour. The man who stops to 
think how he shall look before the world is lost. 

False Estimates of Men. 

It is very easy to get a wrong estimate of men and give them less credit 
for powers they really possess than belongs to them. We size a man up 
and perhaps set him down as rather weak and insignificant. Who- can tell 
the kind of stuff any man is made of until the crisis hour comes and he is 
compelled to act ? Those who knew George Dewey in his early life did not 
predict for him a career so illustrious. But Napoleon said, " The test of a 
gun is that it shoots." After we see what a man can do we are compelled to 
form an estimate of what the man is himself 

It is only just to say that after Dewey's heroic deeds under Admiral 
Farragut the prediction that he would rise to the highest position if the occa- 
sion was offered, must have been made by every thoughtful person who 
studied the make-up of the man. 

As to his always being well dressed and showing himself to be a stickler 
for the rules and customs of polite society, there is a certain cultured and 
dignified element among our people who will rather commend this and look 
with contempt upon those who belittle it. They might call him " Dewey the 
Dude," but he was not afraid of getting his clothes soiled at Manila. 




CHAPTER V. 

Story of Admiral Dewey's Magnificent Victory as Told in 
"The Bounding Billow," Official Organ of the Fleet. 

§T may surprise some of our readers to be informed that a part of 
the equipment of some of the ships which took part in the battle 
of Manila was a full set of type, a ^>rinting press, and men who 
could do the type-setting and press-work. One of the men 
on Dewey's flagship Olympia published from time to time a paper entitled 
The Bounding Billow, which contained a full record of all the happenings on 
board the various ships of the fleet. 

This is a fine evidence of the intelligence and education that characterize 
the men who enter the American Navy. They are something more than 
mere machines. They are intelligent, brainy men who are not more remark- 
able for their patriotism than they are for their hard sense, their tact and the 
ability they possess to do everything that needs to be done on board a man- 
of-v/ar. The majority of the officers of our Navy are cultured men. They 
enjoyed good educational advantages in early life, and of course in order to 
graduate from the Naval Academy they must have been good scholars in 
many of the branches taught in our best universities. 

The intelligence that characterizes the men who compose our Navy 
accounts largely for our wonderful success in the Spanish-American War. 
Napoleon I. said, " Ideas rule the world." We certainly had an illustration 
of this in the superb achievement of our navy at Santiago and in Manila 
Bay. Our men were quick to think and equally quick to plan and execute. 
They could take advantage of every situation. Our gunners could shoot 
and our officers could command. There was something more than blind 
courage ; there was always intelligent action. 

Speaking of the paper published on board the flagship Olympia, the 
reader will find a special interest in the following graphic account of the battlft 
of Manila taken from the pages of The Bounding Billow. We insert the de- 
scription of Dewey's superb victory just as we find it in the page.n of that 
publication. 

It was written on board the flagship by the editor, who had every oppor- 
tunity to take in the whole situation, and his account can therefore be de- 
pended upon as reliable ; it is the description of men in the battie. 




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SIGHTING A HOTGHKISS REVOLVING GUN 




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SINGLE STICK EXERCISE 

GROUP OF OLDEST BLUEJACKETS 



TRAIMINQ A 15-INCH QUN 

TAKING SOU DINOS OR HEAVINO THE LEAD 




NAVAL MANCEUVRES-TORPEDO PRACTICE 

• IN THE SEA-BOATS, LAYING BY THE -ARGET: THE TORPEDO FINISHES ITS RUN BY 
.EAPING INTO THE AIR. 2. THE MIDDY AND THE COXWAIN IN THE SEA-BOAT 

3. BRINGING THE TORPEDO ALONGSIDE. 




MAJOR GENERAU WESLEY MERRITT 




1. A FILIPINO VILLAGE NEAR MANILA: TROOPS DRILLING IN THE MAIN STREET. 2. OUT- 
POSTS IN TOUCH: AMERICAN ON THE NEAR SIDE OF THE BRIDGE, FILIPINO BEYOND. 
%. A SPANISH FORT AT MANILA. 4. AT CAVITE : A SPANISH OUN-BOAT. 




GENERAL OTIS 

90MMANDER OF THE American Forces in the Philippine Islands 




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THE DEWEY SWORD 

THE GIFT OF THE NATION TO ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY, U. S. N., IN MEMORY OF THE 

VICTORY AT MANILA BAY, MAY 18T, 1898 

HADE BY TIFFAhy A CO., NEW tOBK 










^^9-- 









X 



ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY 



^ 

7 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 



(i'j 



THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY 

rilE U. S. FLEET GAINS A DECISIVE VICTORY OVER THE SPANIARDS — NOT A MAN 

KILLED AMONG THE AMERICANS. 

The U. S. Fleet consisting of the Olynipia (Flagship), Boston, Raleigh, 
Baltimore, Concord, Petrel, McCuUoch (Dispatch boat) and the transports, 
Nanshan, and Zafiro (merchant steamers carrying coal for the fleet) left Mirs 




TURRET OF A UNITED STATEiJ BATTLESHIP. 

Bay, China, April 27th, 1898, for Manila, Philippine Islands, to engage th 

Spanish Fleet stationed there. The ships made a very warlike and imposing 

picture as they steamed out of the harbor in three columns, with all colors 

flying, bent on their dire and fateful errand. 

A looker on would have thought that the ships were merely going on a 

pleasure trip judging by the happy and careless demeanor of the crews; but 

unless they have experienced it, they would never guess the strain that the 

cincertainty of whether we were really going to war or not, was on the nerves 
5-D 



66 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

of these men who had almost nothing to divert their minds. Once the 
suspense was relieved, however, and a definite move made, there was a com- 
plete change and they went about their different tasks as blithesome and gay 
as if it were extended leave instead of grim war. 

The second day out the following intellectual abortion was posted on the 
bulletin board. For arrogance and conceit it certainly caps the climax ; for 
a sample of ignorance and idiocy it is unsurpassable. 

, A Spaniard's Boastful Proclamation. 

The following high-sounding Proclamation was issued by the Governor- 
General of the Philippines : — 

" Spaniards : Between Spain and the United States of North America 
hostilities have broken out. The moment has arrived to prove to the world 
that we possess the spirit to conquer those who, pretending to be loyal 
friends, take advantage of our misfortunes and abuse our hospitality, using 
means which civilized nations count unworthy and disreputable. 

" The North American people, constituted of all the social excrescences, 
have exhausted our patience and provoked war with their perfidious machina- 
tions, with their acts of treachery, and with their outrages against the laws 
of nations and international treaties. 

"The struggle will be short and decisive. The God of victories will 
give us one as complete as the righteousness and justice of our cause 
demands. Spain, which counts upon the sympathies of all the nations, will 
emerge triumphant from this new test, humiliating and blasting the adven- 
turers from those States that, without cohesion and without a history, offer 
to humanity only infamous traditions and the spectacle of a Congress in 
which appear united insolence and defamation, cowardice and cynicism. 

" A squadron manned by foreigners, possessing neither instruction nor 
discipline, is preparing to come to this archipelago with the ruffianly inten- 
tion of robbing us of all that means life, honor and liberty. Pretending to 
be inspired by a courage of which they are incapable, the North American 
seamen undertake as an enterprise capable of realization the substitution of 
^Protestantism for the Catholic religion you profess, to treat you as tribes 
^refractory to civilization, to take possession of your riches as if they were 
unacquainted with the rights of property, and to kidnap those persons whom 
they consider useful to man their ships or to be exploited in agricultural or 
industrial labor! 

" Vain designs ! Ridiculous boastings ! Your indomitably bravery will 
suffice to frustrate the attempt to carry them into realization. You will no^ 
consent that they shall profane the faith that you profess, that impious foot 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 67 

steps shall defile the temple of the true God, nor that unbelief shall dcstro)' 
the holy images which you adore. The aggressors shall not profane the 
tombs of your fathers, they shall not gratify their lustful passions at the cost 
of your wives and daughters' honor, nor appropriate the property which your 
industry has accumulated to assure your livelihood, No, they shall not per- 
petrate any of these crimes inspired by their wickedness and covetousness, 
because your valor and patriotism will suffice to punish and abase the people 
that, claiming to be civilized and cultivated, have exterminated the natives of 
North America instead of bringing to them the life of civilization and progress. 
" Philippinos, prepare for the struggle and, united under the glorious 
fla^ of Spain, which is ever covered with laurels, let us fight with the con- 
viction that victory will crown our efforts, and to the summons of our enemies 
let us oppose with the decision of the Christian and tne patriot the cry of 
* Viva Espana.' 

" Your General, " Basilio Agustin y Davila." 

A Pithy and Convincing Answer. 

This unjust and cowardly manifesto aroused the anger and indignation 
of every man in the fleet, and many were the subterranean growls and the 
learned General would have fared badly had he been at hand. The following 
speech was made by the Editor (being the literary organ and representative, 
in answer to the foregoing proclamation. 

" Shipmates : You all no doubt, have seen and read the rank and 
cowardly attack, made by the Spanish governor of Manila on the Glorious 
Flag and Country we serve. 

"In it he questions our bravery, our birth-rights, the honesty of our 
government and claims that we have no history! What do the acts of our 
forefathers represent? What was the glorious fight they made for independ- 
ence in the war of '76, when father and son left their plow in the furrow and 
shouldered their muskets for liberty, while wives, mothers and daughters 
cheered them on to victory? What was the war of 181 2 and the Mexican 
war? History all, and honorable unstained history at that ! 

"What does he mean by saying we are ' a cowardly nation?' 'Old 
Glory,' the dear old flag we serve and love, harbors no cowards. Where- 
ever seen it is recognized as the emblem of freedom and honor, the standard 
of a nation of heroes, and though he may prate and proclaim from now until 
'hades freezes over,' he will never make any but the most benighted or 
bigoted believe that he is even sane. 

''The sight of Our Flag is like a breath of pure, fresh air. Its very 
colors are significant ; the red is emblematic of the blood of heroes shed in 



68 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

the defense of our country ; the white the purity of our aims and objects, and 
the star-spangled blue the Heaven we look to for guidance and strength. 

" Then this Spanish Solomon goes on to inform the brave muchachos 
under his sovereign command, that we are a gang of cut-throat Protestant 
heretics who will convert them ' willy nilly ' into a belief in our faith ; that 
we are marauders and thieves; that we are the scourings off the earth's 
gutters, ' social excrescences ' (soft impeachment,) and lastly that we had 
veritably driven them on to war, manufacturing causes and insulting then? 
because we knew, or rather, thought they were weak. 

Barbarities Practiced by Spain. 

" Shipmates, you all know what has brought on this war. The bar- 
barous inhumanities practiced by them in the Island of Cuba, right before 
our eyes. Old men and women cruelly tortured and slain, babes murdered 
on their mother's breasts, thousands of peaceful homes ruined and destroyed 
by these Spanish fiends, the dear old Stars and Stripes trampled in the mud 
of Spanish streets, and last, worst of all, the tragedy that has been too lately 
enacted to be forgotten, the destruction of the Maine, when brothers, friends 
and shipmates were foully murdered through Spanish treachery and hatred, 
an act that has won for Spain the aversion of all civilized nations. These 
acts have brought on the war. Acts the wildest savage would disdain, 
crimes that none but the lowest of Lucifer's emissaries would commit. It 
is to avenge these wrongs, to give blessed liberty to an oppressed and down- 
trodden nation, and to uphold the honor of our country that we are going to 
war with Spain. The Governor says the Spanish flag is covered with laurels ; 
perhaps, but they are laurels of infamy. 

" Fellow patriots, when the hour arrives we will one and all gladly lay 
down our lives for the dear flag and beloved country that has never had one 
stain to blemish the purity of its escutcheon. I know of no words that will 
appeal more forcibly to your hearts than those of the ' Patriot Poet ' Holmes 
in the beautiful poem, — 

THE FLOWER OF FREEDOM. 
" What flower is this, that greets the morn, 
Its hues from Heaven so freshly born, 
With burning star and flaming band 
It kindles all the sunset land, 
O ! tell me what its name may be ? 
It is the ' Flower of Liberty ! 

''Behold its streaming rays unite, 
One mingling flood of braided light. 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. W 

The red that fires the southern rose 

With spotless white, from northern snows, 

While spangled o'er its azure, see 

The sister stars of liberty ! 

The blades of heroes fence it round, 

Where e'er it springs is holy ground, 

It makes the land, as ocean free, 

And plants an empire, on the sea. 

*' Thy sacred folds, fair freedom's flower, 
Shall ever float from dome and tower, 
To all their heavenly colors true 
In blackening frost or crimson dew. 
O ! land where thy banners wave last in the sun. 
Blazoned with star clusters, many in one ! 
Waving o'er mountain and prairie and sea, 
Hark ! 'tis the voice of thy children to thee. 
Here at thine altar our vows we renew 
E'er in thy cause to be loyal and true, 
True to thy flag on the field and the wave. 
Living to honor it , dying to save. 

" Flag of the heroes, who left us their glory 
Borne through their battle field's thunder and flame. 
Blazoned in song and ilhimined in story, 
Waves o'er us all, who inherit their fame. 
Light of our firmament, guide of our nation, 
Pride of her children and honored afar, 
E'er the bright beams of thy full constellation. 
Shall scatter each cloud that would darken a star. 

"Yet if by madness or treachery blighted, 
Dawns the dark hour when the sword thou must draw 
Then with the arms of thy millions united. 
Smite the bold traitors to freedom and law. 
Lord of the Universe, shield us and guide us, 
Trusting thee always through shadow and sun. 
Thou hast united us; who shall divide us? 
Keep us ! O keep us ! The ' Many in One.' 
Up with our banner bright, 
Spangled with starry light ; 
Spread its fair emblems from mountain to shore, 
While thro' the sounding sky, 
Loud rings the nation's cry, 
Union and Liberty ! One evermore I " 



"0 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

"And now shipmates, when we get to Manila and meet the Spanish 
murderers, let our battle cry b<_, — 

" Remember the Mai?ie 
Afid down with Spain ! " 

About two o'clock Saturday morning land was sighted, and at daylight 
we were close on the coast of the enemy's country. 

We kept about five or six miles from the coast line, keeping a bright 
look out for men-o'-war or other craft of the enemy. During the morning 
the Boston and Concord were sent a-head to reconnoiter Subig Bay, as it 
was rumored that there were two men-o'-war there. Later we sighted a 
couple of fishing sehooners. The transport Zafiro was sent to board one. 
They informed the officer that there were only two gunboats in Manila 
Harbor. We knew they were lying, but allowed them to proceed without 
molestation. 

In the afternoon the light house on Cape Bolinao was sighted, and the 
Baltimore was sent ahead to reconnoiter. When the fleet reached Subig Bay 
the Baltimore was close in shore while the Boston and Concord were stand- 
ing out toward us. They had seen nothing of the enemy. The fleet then 
formed \\\ column again and proceeded for Manila. 

Danger from Mines and Torpedoes. 

It was Commodore Dewey's intention to pass the large fort on Corregidor 
Island, twenty- six miles from Manila, about midnight if possible, without 
being seen. It was a bold move and certainly deserved the success that 
crowned it, for there was great danger of mines and torpedoes being placed 
in the entrance, to say nothing of the guns on the forts. The harbor had in 
fact been considered impregnable and no doubt it was, but not against Yankee 
grit and daring. At about midnight we were standing up Manila Bay at a 
speed of four knots. We had been in hopes that the moon would go down 
as its light was rather annoying to our hopes of entering undiscovered, but 
he seemed determined to stay out and see the fun. The guns were all 
manned and kept trained on the fort, while eyes and ears were strained 
watching and waiting for the shot that would indicate our discovery. Cor- 
regidor fort was on our left while another battery somewhat further in was on 
our right hand. 

On board the ships everything was quiet, and nothing could be heard 
but the officers giving the range in whispers and the monotonous swash 
swash, of the water. The strain was terrible, and not one of the men that 
manned that fleet will ever forget the morning of the " First of May." 




FORM OF APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY, MADE AT CAVITE IN 

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, AND SIGNED BY CAPTAIN LAMBERTOW, 

CHIEF OF STAFF TO ADMIRAL DEWEY. 

n 



7£ STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

Suddenly a flash of light was seen on the fort on Corregidor. The men 
hold their breath waiting the report, but it was only a rocket. Soon another 
goes up, a light on shore flashes out signals, another on the other side 
and we know we are seen. It is afterwards rumored that two torpedoes had 
been fired at us, but they did not have range enough to reach us. 

At seventeen minutes past twelve the battery on our right opened fire, 
the shell passing between the Olympia and Baltimore. The Raleigh answered 
immediately. Another shot between the Concord and Boston was answered 
by the latter and the McCulloch. The McCulloch then turned back to look 
after the transports. The Flagship signaled to the McCulloch, " Are you all 
right? " McCulloch answered " O. K." It was too dark for the Boston and 
Raleigh to locate the batteries, so they ceased firing. None of the ships 
were struck. 

Ready for the Opening Signal. 

About 3.20 word was passed to " lay by your guns and take it easy." 
Some of the men " lay," but " taking it easy " was out of the question. The 
decks were sprinkled with sand, and it would get into eyes, ears and nose, 
scratch the skin, and occasionally some one would stroll over your recumbent 
form, as leisurely as if on parade, for all lights were out and the decks were 
as dark as Erebus. At four o'clock, cofiee was served out and the stillness 
was broken by the clashing of bowls and the merry laughter occasioned by 
collisions in the dark. Everybody was as happy as though on an excursion, 
jokes and witty stories were going the rounds, while every once in a awhile 
soxnQ pensive nightingull rfo\x\d strike up the affecting song "Just Before the 
Battle, Mother," until some one spilled a bowl of " boot-leg " over him and 
quieted him for a few minutes. 

The men were all in " war-clothes " (which consisted of almost nothing) 
and despite the joking and laughing, the determined gleam in their eyes 
showed that they meant business and were there to " do or die." 

We were standing in toward the city to reconnoiter. Several foreign 
sailing vessels were laying off Manila, but no men-o'-war could be seen. At 
twelve minutes to five we broke " Old Glory " at the mast-heads and gaff 
and were saluted with a ten-inch shell from a battery on the south bastion of 
the city. This fort kept up a continual fire, but all the shots fell short. We 
did not return their fire, but headed in for the Navy Yard at Cavite, 

The Spanish fleet were sighted at seven minutes to five. They were 
laying in line from Sangley Point to Las Pinas across Cavite and Canacao 
Bays. Their right flank was protected by Cavite peninsula on which was 
mounted a very heavy battery. The left flank reached to the shoal part of 
the Bay near Las Pinas. 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 73 

The Spanish vessels were further protected by a huge boom covered 
with chains, Hghters filled with stones and water, covering the water lines. 
The Reina Cristina was standing off the left flank of the line, and had the 
Spanish Rear Admiral Montojo y Pasaron on board. 

At 5.35 the ball was opened by the batteries on SangU-y Point and a 
shell fell near the Olympia. The American fleet then advanced to the attack, 
>the flagship leading. Commodore Dewey personally directed the movements 
of the squadron from the forward bridge. The Captain directed the firing 
while the Captains in command of the other vessels handled their respective 
ships with a dexterity that was little short of marvelous. 

''The Men Behind the Guns." 

At 5.38 the Reina Cristina opened fire followed by the rest of the 
Spanish fleet. At 5.55 the American fleet began firing, and a rapid fire was 
kept up by the entire fleet during the engagement. A torpedo boat came 
out about ten minutes past six and endeavored to place itself in the track 0} 
the Olympia, but was driven ashore by the rapid-fire guns. Another boat 
came out and fired a torpedo which passed across the bow of the McCulloch,. 
but did no damage. Before the boat could escape it was struck by so many 
shots that nothing was left of it but smoke. There were several torpedo 
attacks made on the other vessels, but luckily all were eflectualy repulsed or 
blown up. This was mainly due to the good marksmanship of the " men 
behind the guns." 

The American fleet steamed along the entire length of the Spanish line 
at distances varying from 5600 to 1500 yards. The order was given to fire 
on the arsenal in Cavite, and a well-directed shot from an eight-inch gun sent 
it up in smoke. This was at 6.45 and our fleet had just made the first round. 
We passed the line of ships and forts five times, three times from the east- 
ward and twice from the westward. 

On the second round from the westward the Spanish Admiral made a 
desperate effort to get outside the boom, but received a concentrated fire from 
the fleet. His ship caught fire and he transferred his flag to the Castilla, first 
hauling down the colors on the Reina Cristina. The American ships then 
stopped firing at the latter and kept a continual storm of steel raining on the 
enemy's other ships and forts. 

The Don Antonio de Ulloa also made a desperate but futile attempt to 
get out. She went down with her colors flying at her peak until the Petrel 
lowered a boat and cut them away. The flag was presented to Commodore 
Dewey. In the meantime the Spanish Admiral returned to the Rein^ 
Cristina, the Castilla being in a sinking condition. The Spanish fought ver* 



74 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

courageously, many of them going down fighting their guns until the last. 
Even amidst the horrors and cruelties of war, one cannot help remarking and 
admiring the valor of these heroes, Spaniards and enemies though they be. 

It was on this round that the Boston stood like a fort for ten minutes 
firing as fast as they could load and aim, receiving the concentrated fire of 
all the Spanish ships. The Olympia was twice hulled, but the shells did not 
penetrate sufficiently to do much damage. Although shot and shell rained 
thick around her she was struck but eight times, and miraculous though it) 
may be, not a man was injured. The other ships in the fleet thought the 
Flagship was sinking, for all that could be seen of her was a cloud of smoke 
and jets of flame bursting through. 

One shot struck the Baltimore in the starboard waist just abaft one of the 
6 inch guns. It passed through the hammock netting, exploded a couple of 
3 pounder shells, wounding six men, then across the deck striking the cyhnder 
of a gun making it temporarily useless, then running around the shield it 
spent itself between two ventilators just forward of the engine room hatch. 
The shell is in possession of the Captain. The other vessels also, with the 
exception of the Concord and Petrel, were struck several times. 

Our Fleet Makes Havoc of the Foe. 

At about half past-seven the Spanish fire slackened. The Reina Cristina 
was on fire and sinking, the Castilla was sunk and many others were afire and 
crippled. The fort on the mole at Pasig River had ceased firing. At 7.56 
we stood off shore for the middle of the bay, the batteries in the forts on 
Sangley Point, along the beach of Cavite and on the south bastion of Manila 
kept up a continuous but ineffective fire. 

The crews had breakfast and a rest which they certainly needed, though 
they were every one anxious to continue and have it out. The batteries on 
Cavite kept up a continual fire, but the range was too long and they did no 
further damage than to waste their ammunition, 

A conference of Commanders was held on board the Flagship, and at 
10.15 the fleet stood in to silence the batteries. The Baltimore led, Olympia 
followed close behind while the Raleigh and Boston formed on the right 
flank. The Concord and Petrel diverged to the left and manoeuvered to get 
behind the point on which the forts were situated. The two leading vessels 
steamed in bows on, and when about 1500 yards from the batteries opened 
fire with their large guns. As the Boston and Raleigh came up the Flagship 
drew back while the Baltimore remained stationary, delivering shot after shot 
with such telling effect that in twenty minutes she silenced the two most 
dangerous guns. 




HONORABLE DISCHARGE FROM THE UNITED STATES NAVY OF COXSWAIN CAR 
iLOLL,WHO WAS IN THE BATTLE OF MANILA MAY IST; ALSO AT THE BOM- 
BARDMENT OF MANILA AUGUST 13TH, AND SIGNED BY CAPTAIN 
COGHLAN, COMMANDER OF THE SALEIGH. 



76 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIR 

The Boston and Raleigh steamed along the point, delivering broadsides 
as they went at the remaining fort on Sangley Point. In the meantime the 
brave little battle-ships Petrel aud Concord steamed in behind the point and 
attack'id the forts from the rear, utterly demoralizing the Spaniards. The 
Concord fired a few shots at the transport Midanao which had been run on 
the shoals off Las Pinas, and after being assured that there was no life on 
board set the vessel on fire. 

At twenty minutes past twelve a white flag went up near Cavite and the 
bombardment ceased. The Petrel was sent up the Ciran River to destroy 
the gunboats that had retreated there. 

The Boston and Concord remained off the Navy Yard while the rest of 
the fleet proceeded to the city to silence the fort there, that had been so per- 
sistent in making itself heard. Just as we got in range they ran up the 
" white flag," and when the sun set that night its last rays rested like a 
benediction on " Old Glory " waving proudly from mast head and peak of 
Uncle Sam's doughty arbitrators. 

How the Victory was Won. 

Superior tactical knowledge and calm calculations, superior gunnery and 
coolness together with Yankee daring won the day. 

The next day the Petrel went into the bay and brought out a number of 
steam launches, two tugs and a couple of small boats, which were distributed 
amon^ the fleet. The surrender of all the vessels of war, forts and arsenals 
in the bay was demanded and given. The surrender of the city was delayed 
until the authorities at Washington were heard from. 

Apothecaries, nurses and detachments of men were sent on shore to 
assist in caring for and transporting the wounded to the hospitals, and bury- 
ing the dead. The effect of our deadly fusillade was simply frightful, the 
dead and wounded strewing the grounds and buildings like leaves in 
autumn. 

One of the wounded from the Reina Cristina could speak very good 
English, having been in America some time, but on returning to his native 
land on a visit had been impressed in the service. He had both legs .shot 
away. He stated that nearly all the vessels had double crews, many of them 
being volunteers from among the citizens, that the number of deaths would 
never be known. He also said that no sooner had a gun been loaded than a 
storm of projectiles would sweep away the gun's crew. At the time the 
Spanish Admiral tried to get his ship out he received such a terrible fire that 
the deck was one mass of bursting shell. The captain, he said, was killed 
almost at the first discharge. 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 77 

The Spanish Fleet Consisted of the Following Named Vessels : 
t Rcina Cristina. (Flagship.) .... Cruiser 

X Castilla " 

t Don Antonio de Ulloa " 

t Don Juan de Austria " 

t Isla de Cuba " 

t Isla de Luzon " 

X General Lezo Gunboat. 

t Marquis del Ducro " 

X Elcano " 

t Velasco " 

t Argus " 

X Isla de Mindanao Transport. 

Manila " 

Vessels sunk are marked thus (f). 
Vessels burnt are marked thus (I). 

The Luzon, Cuba, Duero, Lezo, Austria and Elcano are sunk in the 
mouth of Cinar River. The transport Manila, the armed tug Barcelo with a 
large quantity of appurtenances for laying mines, several other armed tugs 
and launches were captured. Since the day of the engagement the American 
fleet have been busy destroying fortifications, ammunition and disarming the 
hulks of the Spanish ships. 

Jolly Music During the Fight. 

An amusing incident which occurred during the heat of the engagement 
will show what an utter disregard the men had for the seriousness of the 
occasion. It was on board the Raleigh, two shellmen, both fair amateur 
musicians, would snatch moments between hustling anununition to take, one 
the guitar, the other a violin, and strike up the inspiring tune " There'll be a 
Hot Time in the Old Town To-night," while even the Captain could not 
refrain from laughing at the ludicrousness of the scene. 

That night the scene was awful, but grand. The blaze from the burning 
vessel threw their lurid glare over the rack and ruin ashore and the wreck, 
afloat, while occasionally a magazine would burst, like the eruption of ai 
volcano throwing its flaming debris high into the air, making a lurid picture 
of the horrors of modern warfare that made a lifelong impression on all that 
saw it. 

The following is the account of the battle taken from the daily paper 
published in Manila. To judge by the disconnected appearance of the article, 
the writer must have been viewing the engagement from a //;;«.- a/>/>/t' orcJuird 



78 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

or some other place of safety a good many miles distant. However, we give 
the extract as it is and leave it to the judgment of our readers. 

{Translated from the Diario de Manila, May /fth, i8g8.) 

"A Naval Surprise. 

" When the enemy's squadron was sighted in perfect line of battle 
through the clouds of a misty dawn on the morning of the first of May, 
gloom and surprise were general among the people of Manila. At last these 
ships had strained their boldness to the point of appearing on our coasts and 
, defying our batteries, which showed more courage and valor than effect when 
they opened fire on the squadron. It needs something more than courage to 
make projectiles penetrate — indeed it does ! 

"Every Man to His Station. 

" The inequality of our batteries when compared with those of the 
squadron which alarmed the inhabitants of Manila at five o'clock in the 
morning was enough to transform the tranquil character of our tropical tem- 
peraments. 

" While ladies and children in carriages or on foot fled in fright to seek 
refuge in the outlying suburbs and adjacent villages around the Capital from 
danger multiplied by their imagination, every man from the stately personage 
to the most humble workman, merchants and mechanics, Spaniards and na- 
tives, soldiers and civilians, all, we repeat, sought their stations and put on 
their arms, confident that never should the enemy land in Manila unless he 
passed over their corpses. Yet from the first moment the strength of the 
enemy's armor and the power of his guns demonstrated that his ships were 
invulnerable to our energies and our armaments, the hostile squadron would 
never have entered our bay had not its surety been guaranteed by its manifest 
superiority. 

"Spectators and Observers. 

" The city walls, the church towers, the roofs of high buildings, and all 
high places convenient for observation were occupied by those who were not 
xetained by their military duties within the walls, on the bridges, or at the 
i'advanced posts. The slightest details of the enemy's ships were eagerly 
noted as they advanced towards Cavite in a line parallel with the beaches of 
Manila, as though they had just come out of the Pasig River. There were 
no gaps in the line, but the curious public hardly realized the disparity be- 
tween their great guns and the pieces mounted on our fortifications. Some 
had glasses and others were without ; but all seemed to devour with theif 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 79 

eyes these strangers, who, while brave, were not called upon to show their 

courage, since the range of their guns and the weakness of our battcriea 

enabled them to preserve their impunity while doing us as much harm as 

they pleased. 

"Remarks of the People. 

" All who appreciated the impunity with which the hostile ships ma- 
nceuvred, as if on a harmless parade, were full of such rage and desperation as 
belongs to the brave man who can make no use of his courage ; to whom re- 
mains no remedy except an honorable death rather than a cowardly inactivity. 

"A soldier of the First Battalion of Cazadores gazed at the squadron 
sweeping over the waters out of reach of the fire of our batteries, looked out 
at the ships and then toward heaven, saying, 'If Holy Mary would turn that 
sea into land the Yankees would find out how we can charge in double time.' 
And a crouching native staring out at the ships said, ' Just let them come 
ashore and give us a whack at them.' On they stood at full speed in column 
of battle heading for Cavite with the decision due to a sense of safety and a 
firm assurance of success. 

"The Fight Seen from Manila. 

" For more than an hour and a half the bombardment held in suspense 
those whose souls followed the unequal struggle, in which the Spanish ships 
went down with their glorious banners flying. 

"What was going on in the waters of Cavite? From Manila we saw 
through glasses, the two squadrons almost mingled together in the clouds of 
smoke. This was not far from a triumph for our side, considenng the weak- 
ness of our batteries. For, once alongside the enemy, the cry of ' Boarders 
Away ! ' and the flash of cold steel might have enabled our devoted seamen 
to disturb the calm in which watches and instruments were regulating and 
directing those engines of destruction. In the blindness of our rage how 
should we paint the heroic deeds, the prowess, the waves of valor which burst 
forth from our men-of-war ? Those who fought beneath the Spanish flag bore 
themselves like men, as chosen sons of our native land who never measure 
forces, nor yield to superior force in the hands of an cn<-.my; who would 
'rather die without ships than live in ships which have surrentWred. 

" To name those who distinguished themselves in battle would require 
the publication of the entire muster-rolls of our ships, from ccvotaiii to cabin- 
boy. To these victorious seamen of ours we offer congratulations; laurels 
for the living; prayers for the dead ; for all our deepest gratitude. Since we 
cannot reconstruct the bloody scene which was exhibited last Sunday in the 
waters of Cavite. we will not attempt a description, which would only be a 



1^0 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

pale shadow of great deeds deserving a perpetual place in the pages of history. 
When the hostile squadron turned toward Cavite, the crew of the steamer 
Isla de Mindanao heard the drums beating to quarters, and answered with 
enthusiasm, the three rounds of cheers for the King, for the Queen, and for 
Spain, which echoed along our line. 

" Later, until a quarter to five, absolute silence reigned. Everything was 
ready. The idea of death was lost in ardor for the fray, and every eye was 
fixed on the battle flags waving at our mast heads. In perfect and majestic 
order — why should we deny this? — the nine Yankee ships advanced in battle 
array. The Olympia, bearing the Admiral's flag, led the column followed by 
the other ships, steering at full speed toward Cavite. The Olympia opened 
fire, and an instant reply came from the battery on the mole, which kept on 
firing at five-minute intervals, while the iron- clad shaped her course for the 
Reina Christina and Castilla. Into both these ships she poured a steady and 
rapid fire seconded by the ships which followed in her wake. Another ship 
which directed a heavy fire on our line was the Baltimore, and so the can- 
nonade went on until a quarter to eight. At that moment the Don Juan de 
Austria advanced against the enemy intending to board the Olympia, and if a 
tremendous broadside had not stopped her self-devoted charge, both ships 
might perhaps have sunk to the bottom. 

"Tried to Attack the Olympia. 

"The captain of the Reina Christina, seeing that the resolute attempt of 
his consort had failed, advanced at full speed until within about 200 yards of 
the Olympia, aiming to attack her. Then a shower of projectiles swept the 
bridge and decks filling the ship with dead and wounded heroes and martyrs 
whom the nation will remember as long as it endures. 

"A dense column of smoke from the bow-compartment showed that an 
incendiary projectile, such as the law of God and man prohibits, had set fire 
to the cruiser. The ship, still keeping up her fire on the enemy, withdrew 
toward the arsenal, where she was sunk to keep her from falling into the 
hands of the Yankees. 

" The desperation of the men of the Reina Christina was aggravated by 
the sight of the Castilla also in a blaze, from a similar use of incendiary pro- 
jectiles. The principal ships of our little squadron having thus been put out 
of action, the Yankee vessels, some of them badly crippled by the fire of our 
ships, and the batteries at Point Sangley, stood out toward Mariveles and the 
entrance of the bay, ceasing their fire and occupying themselves in repairing 
injuries until ten o'clock, when they began a second attack to complete their 
work of destruction. In this second assault the fire at the arsenal was extin- 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 81 

guished.and they continued to cannonade the blazing gunboats. One gun- 
boat, which seemed to have nothing more venturesome to undertake, detached 
herself from the squadron and set to work to riddle the mail steamer Isla de 
Mindanao. Now that the ships were in flames, the Admiral, Senor Montojo, 
who had shown his flag as long as there was a vessel afloat, landed, and 
hostilities ceased. 

" The only Spanish ship which had not been destroyed by fire or by the 
enemy's projectiles, sunk herself so that she could in no wise be taken. Such 
in broad outlines, wliich we cannot correct at this moment, was the naval 
battle of Cavite, in which the last glimpse of our squadron showed the 
Spanish flag. A thousand sensational details have reached us, which we 
would reproduce gladly, after the necessary corrections, if our pen would 
serve for anything except to sing the glory of these martyrs of the nation. 
Perhaps to-morrow or another day, with fuller knowledge of the facts, we 
can furnish our readers with many interesting details. To-day we limit our- 
selves to a sketch of the grand picture which was unrolled before on the first 
of May, begging our friends to excuse the defects which they may note. 

*' The Killed and Wounded. 

"Killed: The Captain, Chaplain, Clerk, and Boatswain of the Reina 
Christina. Wounded: The Captains of the Castilla and Don Antonio de 
Ulloa; the Executive Ofificer of the Reina Christina; a Lieutenant of the 
Don Juan de Austria ; the Paymaster of the Ulloa, the second Surgeon of the 
Christina, the Surgeon of the Ulloa and Chief Engineers of the Christina and 

Austria. 

"Batteries. 

" The gunners of the batteries defending Manila and Cavite showed the 
highest degree of energy and heroism. Every one applauds these brave 
artillerymen who, by their calmness and skill, did all that was possible with 
the guns assigned to them, allowing for their deficiencies and imperfections. 

" The battery that did most harm to the enemy was the one on Point 
Sangley made up of Hontoria guns. From one of these guns came the shot 
which the Boston received, while four ships which had altogether 65 guns 
were pouring their fires on this battery to reduce it to silence. One gun hav- 
ing been crippled the other kept on playing, firing whenever damage could be 
done and avoiding waste of ammunition. To one of its shots is attributed 
the hurt which turned the Baltimore from the fight. This gun must have 
greatly annoyed the Yankees, to judge by the effort they made to silence its 
fire, following it up until six gunners had been killed and four wounded. 

" On this account it is proposed to demand the bestowal of the laurel- 
6-D 



82 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP, 

wreathed cross of San Fernando to the valiant gunners who served this bat 
tery. The Luneta battery at Manila which assailed the Yankee ships wit^l 
much vigor was the object of the enemy's special attention as he stood past 
the fortifications of Manila, heading for Cavite. Guns were also mounted at 
the entrance of the bay on Corregidor and Caballo Islands, on El Fraile rock, 
on the south shore at Point Restinga, and at Mariveles, Punta Gorda and 
Point Lasisi on the north shore. The guns on Corregidor Island were of 
about six-inch calibre ; similar guns were mounted on the rock and on Point 
1 Restinga. The other batteries had guns of smaller calibre and short range. 

• ** Making the Best of the Situation. 

" The Spanish Club, ever earnest in remedying misfortune, gave liberal 
help to the refugees who survived from our ships of war. Doubtless the 
Civil Commission has arranged to secure supplies for the city, but it is cer- 
tain that since Sunday there has been great scarcity of everything, and specula- 
tors have got what prices they cared to ask for articles of prime necessity. 
Already people are growing calmer and the shops are open, and it is to be 
expected that Manila will go on resuming her usual life and animation. The 
great masses of the rural population of the Philippines, as well as the leader 
of the nation, have responded like loyal sons of Spain, sharing our pains and 
assisting in our labors. 

" The Admiral, Senor Montojo, has received a telegram of congratula- 
tion from the Minister of Marine who, in his own name, and in the name of 
the Queen of Spain, felicitates the Navy of this Archipelago for gallant be- 
havior on the day of Cavite. These are the terms of the telegram referred 
to: 'Honor and glory to the Spanish Fleet which fought so heroically in 
the bay." 

"After two days of silence, in which our paper failed to see the light by 
reason of exceptional circumstances occuring at Manila, and known to all the 
public, we return to our regular issue trusting in the good will of our sub- 
scribers." 

The above account is certainly as fair as could be expected from a 
Spaniard, but a few little things are slightly overdrawn. For instance, in one 
place he says the weakness of their batteries enables us to do as much harm 
as we chose. No doubt, but he omits to say that only a few days before 
they v.'ere holding high carnival in anticipation of their coming victory 
over us. 

Again, he seems to forget that the days of boarding men-o'-war, are over 
It would certainly be a poetical climax to have the two ships going dow i; 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 83 

together, but then the Spanish always were a poetical race. Further he goes 
on to say that we used incendiary projectiles "prohibited by the laws of God 
and man," which either shows his ignorance of the laws of warfare or a de- 
sire to mislead his readers. 

That they fought heroically cannot be denied, and far be it from us to 
belittle their bravery in this action. As for the brave soldier of the Cazadores 
that prayed the Virgin Mary would turn the sea into land, so they could 
charge us (thirty thousand men against about sixteen hundred), we will quote 
the remark of one of the boys, who very naively said, " He'll be praying for 
'another forty-day flood when Merritt and his troops arrive." 

It certainly isn't right to boast, but we cannot help taking this oppor- 
tunity to congratulate the other ships and ourselves on the coolness and 
braver}' displayed by the men of the entire fleet in this their first experience 
in real warfare. Of course after the first gun was fired and the eye caught 
the gleam of the glorious Stars and Stripes, all thoughts of self were lost in 
the one resolve that that flag would never be disgraced by any act of theirs ; 
but it was in the night entering the hostile harbor amid uncertain dangers 
from torpedo and mine ; with unseen guns frowning down upon us on either 
hand, each moment expecting the flash of a gun and fierce upheaval of a 
mine to herald our discovery and hurl us into eternity, that the strain was 
greatest and each man's courage was tested to the utmost. 

And how did they bear themselves ? Like Americans and veterans. 
Not a man flinched, and we feel justified in writing this little eulogy on our- 
selves. Eh, shipmates ? 

Rear Admiral George Dewey. 

A telegfram was received from the President and naval authorities at 
Washington, thanking Commodore Dewey, the officers and men of this 
squadron for their overwhelming victory and brilliant achievement in the 
battle of Manila Bay. 

The Commodore also received a vote of thanks from Congress in the 
name of the American people and was commissioned Rear-Admiral, dating 
from May tenth. The entire fleet join in congratulating Admiral Dewey on 
his appointment, and hope it will prove but the precursor of further honors 
and promotion. 

Captain Charles V. Gridley. 

It is with indescribable sorrow and regret that we hear of the untimely 
death of our beloved captain, Charles V. Gridley. He died on board the 
O. &. O. Steamer Coptic, at Kobe, Japan, June 5th. Owing to a serious ill- 



U STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 

ness he was ordered home on sick-leave taking with him the sincere respect 
^nd esteem of every man in the fleet. 

He left on the Zafiro, escorted to sea by the Concord, amid the cheering 
c( the entire fleet. He was taken to the steamer by a boat's crew of officers 
with First Lieutenant Reese acting as coxswain. The news of his death 
came Hke a thunder-bolt, filling our hearts with grief and pain. We respect- 
uUy extend our sincere sympathy to his relatives and friends. 

Gone ahead, to the Heavenly land 

Across the mighty River, 
Gone to join the angel band, 

Gained peace and joy forever. 

There was a poet on the Olympia who wrote some inspiring lines that 
appeared in T/ie Bounding Billow and are here reproduced. 

THE MAINE. 

Like a thunderbolt, the dire news came, 

That bowed our heads in sorrow, 
How midst a mine's fierce, flashing flame 

'Neath the walls of Castle Morro, 

A nation's pride, the stately Maine, 

On peaceful mission bent, 
By the hands of murderous sons of Spain 

Now lying wrecked and rent. 

Not midst the battle's stirring blast. 

With colors proudly flying, 
Nor where the mighty cannon crashed 

O'er cheers of heroes, dying. 

*Twas while they slept ; 'twas time of peace 

For proud Columbia's seamen : 
When treach'rous hand the mine released; 

Let loose the fiery demon. 

O noble ship ! O gallant crew 1 

Thy nation mourns its loss. 
Beneath Havana's waters blue, 

Thy murdered bodies toss. 

But Columbia's heroes true and brave, 

Avenge thee, beauteous Maine. 
The requiem thundered o'er thy grave 

Shall sound the knell of Spain. 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 85 

A monument we'll raise to thee : 

'Biding token of our sorrow, 
And in mem'ry of Spain's infamy, 

It shall stand o'er Castle Morro. 

L. S. Young. 

THE CURIO FIENDS. 
They've got flags and scraps of iron 

Tomahawks and bay'nets too, 
Soldier's pants without the lining 

'Nother's got a woman's shoe. 
They've got knives marked " Mi Amigo," 

Which is Spanish for, my friend, 
Swords and daggers marked " Toledo" 

Which a Sandow couldn't bend. 
And each had a shot or shell 

Which was added to their hoard. 
And some brought them for to sell 

To the suckers left on board. 
There was lots of writing paper 

And O ! sech lots o' tools! 
And they cut full many a caper 

A guardin' 'em like jewels. 
One had a big ship's bell 

Which weighed almost a ton, 
And about twenty worked like (dash) 

And got a three-inch gun. 
A blunderbuss from sixty-seven 

Which adorned some mantle-piece, 
Old socks and bits o' ribbon, 

And a box of axle grease. 
There were Admiral's flags and pennants 

That numbered o'er a score, 
All from the"R. Cristina," 

Each curio hunter swore ; 
And some brought off a coat of arms 

From the stately Justice Hall, 
And others took the mirrors 

That hung ag'in the wall. 
We expect to see more actions 

*N lots o' bloody scenes, 
But I'd prefer such distractions 

To the crazy Curio Fiends. 

L. S. YouNO. 



86 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP, 



THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY. 

What sight is this our eyes behold ? What do these ships of war? 
Manned by Columbia's seamen bold, they speed for foemen's shore 
For news had come, sad news and dire, of brothers cruelly slain, 
And Cuba's woes raised heroes' ire ; they go, to war with Spain I 
And as they leave bleak China s coast, receding fast from view. 
Determined is this little host, to fight like freemen true. 

Two days upon the tropic sea, so mighty, calm and grand, 

Ere close beneath our squadron's lee, we saw the enemy's land. 

All day we steamed along tiie coast and scanned eac niche and bayj 

While every man stood at his post impatient for the fray. 

When night, a pall-like darkness fell, though lightning lit the skies. 

Their forts to pass, we planned it well, and take them by surprise. 

'Twas midnight when our vessels boldly passed Corregidor 
For where Manila calmly nestles on fair Luzon's tropic shore : 
And guns frowned down upon us, from their forts on either hand. 
But no danger could deter us, not their might on sea or land. 
We had come to die or conquer, to avenge the sunken " Maine." 
Our watch- word, no surrender ! Our war-cry, down with Spain ! 

Calm and cool broke the morning, on that fateful first of May, 
When like storm's ihund'rous warning, roared a shot across the bay. 
But why that mighty cheering ! Ev'ry eye is turned on high, 
Where our banirer brightly gleaming, rainbow radiance in the sky : 
'Twas " Old Glory" proudly waving that cheered each patriot breast. 
War's fearful dangers braving, to free a race oppressed. 

When the Spanish ships were sighted, stripped like warriors for the fray. 

When the Sabbath morn was lighted and battle's thunder woke the day, 

Every man stood at his station, grimly waiting the command 

To spread death and devastation, midst the foe on sea and land. 

As we closed the deadly distance and six Yankee broadsides bore. 

Brave and stubborn their resistance, though our shells swept ships and <hore. 

Five times we passed. A fiery line that rivaled Heav'n's thunder, 
While on they fought, brav'ry sublime, though ships were going under 
Though every moment seemed their last, with colors proudly flying. 
Amid that fiercely raking blast, they showed no fear of dying. 
Again we plunged into the fight and with one mighty blow 
Assured the victory for the right ; subdued the haughty foe. 



STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 87 

The Spanish colors down at last ! Avenged the sunken " Maine 1 " 

Victorious as in days gone past, we've conquered cruel Spain. 

We've stnick a blow for honor and to set a nation free : 

The guns beneath our banner roared the knell of tyranny. 

Tell the story to our nation, to the people brave and true, 

How our banner brought salvation, with the gallant " Boys in Blue." 

'T shall live in hist'ry's pages how our noble squadron sailed 
Where thick the battle rages and the deadly missiles hailed, 
For Spaniards, arbitration was 'mid the cannon's roar; 
We were fighting fcr a nation and the flag we all adore. 
Twas; for Cuba, and our honor, to avenge our heroes slain, 
Tha-* victory v/reathed our banner when we fought the ships of Spain. 

L. S. Young, 




CHAPTER VI. 

Destruction of the Spanish Fleet in Manila Bay. 

^IDDITIONAL particulars respecting the great battle of Manila 
enable the reader to obtain a clear idea of the struggle between 
our squadron and the Spanish ships commanded by Admiral 
Montojo. All details of the conflict serve to show its desperate 
character. The Spaniards fought bravely ; they exhibited no lack of courage, 
and this only renders Dewey's victory more brilliant. 

He received his appointment as Commander of Asiatic Squadron, and 
reaching Hong Kong as soon as steam could carry him, raised his flag on the 
Olympia on January 3, 1898. Before his departure from Washington he had 
experienced no little trouble in finding a staff wilHng to accompany him — not 
that officers were not willing to serve with the commodore, but they saw- 
greater prospects of naval glory on the home station. There were two 
officers to whom appointments on the staff were offered by the commodore 
and declined. These men afterward regretted the chance they threw aside of 
being present in a big naval fight. Yet it was impossible to foresee at that 
time what service our navy would be called upon to render. 

Roosevelt's Oflacial Dispatch to Dewey. 

On i^e official records of what took place after Commodore Dewey re-, 
ccived hk, first orders, it is shown by the correspondence with Dewey that, by 
direction cf Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt the flagship Olympia 
was retained in the Asiatic station after she had been ordered home. There 
has been much discussion in naval circles as to whether the Olympia had 
actually been directed to return to San Francisco, and the correspondence 
shows that she was so directed. On February 25, Secretary Roosevelt sent 
a confidential dispatch to Dewey, in which he said : 

" Order the squadron, except Monocacy, to Hong Kong. Keep full of 
coal. In the event of the declaration of war with Spain your duty will be to 
see that the Spanish squadron does not leave the Asiatic coast, and then 
offensive operations in Philippine Islands. Keep Olympia until further 
orders." 

A footnote by the Bureau of Navigation says: "Olympia has had 

orders to proceed to the United States." This dispatch of Mr. Roosevelt'5 
S8 



DESTRUCTION OF THK SPANISH FLEET. 89 

was the first that was sent by our government in regard to taking the Phil- 
ippines, 

After war was regarded as a foregone conclusion every effort was made 
by the Navy Department to equip Commodore Dewey's fleet with coal, 
ammunition and supplies. Within twenty-four hours after the wreck of the 
Maine in Havana harbor, ammunition that could not be duplicated in all 
America was ordered on trains that had the right of way to San Francisco. 
»rrhere these explosives, that must be handled as carefully as the mother holds 
a babe, were tenderly transported to the steady old warship Mohican and 
started for Honolulu. 

At the Hawaiian port they were again as hastily as possible unloaded 
and again restored on the Baltimore. Every solid foot of the Baltimore's 
magazines was filled, and 4CXD tons of modern munitions were secured on her 
decks. She was also filled to the utmost with a quantity of coal. 

Making Necessary Preparations. 

On March 22, thirty-four days after the Maine disaster, the officers and 
crew of the Baltimore mailed their farewell letters and started on the long 
sail of 5,ocx) miles to Yokohama, and thence to Hong Kong, where Dewey 
and his bluejackets were waiting for the food of war. While Dewey was 
filling his magazines from the welcome stores of the Baltimore, McKinley, 
and Lee were calmly but safely controlling the fierce wrath of their country- 
men, who were clamoring for the shooting to begin. As the last obtainable 
ton of coal sifted down on the deeply hidden decks of his squadron, Dewey 
was ready to hoist the signals on his flagship and steer straight for Manila 
Bay. 

The Pacific fleet, under Commodore George Dewey, had been anchored 
in the bay at Hong Kong, awaiting instructions from Washington. Imme- 
diately after the Congress had declared war telegraphic orders to capture or 
destroy the formidable Spanish fleet then assembled at Manila were sent to 
Commodore Dewey. These orders had hardly reached him when Great 
Britain issued a proclamation of neutrality, the terms of which compelled him 
to take his squadron away from Hong Kong, a British port, within twenty- 
four hours. Accordingly, he took his ships to I^Iirs Bay, a Chinese port 
only a few miles away, where he continued the preparations for battle which 
he had begun at Hong Kong. These preparations completed on May 27 
Commodore Dewey set sail for Manila with his fleet. 

Early on .Saturday evening of April 30, after a remarkably quick passage 
from Mirs Bay, Commodore Dewey sighted Corregidor Island at the entrance^ 
to the B\y of Manila. Corregidor was known to him to be well fortifiec/ 



90 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 



9)ut he resolved to enter the bay at once. It was now lo o'clock and a full 
moon was shining. With all lights out the squadron steamed into the bay 
with the crews at the guns. This was the order of the squadron, which was 
kept during the whole time of the first battle : The flagship Olympia, the 



A BILL 



Declaiiug That War Exists Between the United States of America and 

the Kingdom of Spain. 



1 

2 
3 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Sepresenlff' 

lives of the United States of America in Congress assemhkc^ 
First — That war be and the same is hereby declared to exist, 
4 and that v/ar has existed since the 2lst day of April, A. D. 1898, 
including said day, between the United States of America and the 
C Kingdom of Spain. 

7 Second— That the President of the United States be and he 

8 is hereby directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval 

9 forces of the United States, and to call into the actual service of the 

10 United States the militia of the several States to such extent as 

11 may be necessary to carry this act into effect. 



Spankir ^ ih& House of ^^reientotiiau 
V/ce-Preildentefthe United Stota aid. 






FAC-SIMILE OF AMERICAS DECLARATION OF WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Baltimore, the Raleigh, the Petrel, the Concord, the Boston. Not until 
toward morning when the flagship was a mile beyond Corregidor Island was 
a gun fired. Then one heavy shot went screaming over the Raleigh and 
Olympia, followed by a second, which fell further astern. The Raleigh, the 



DESTRUCTION OF THIC SPANISH FLEET. 91 

Concord and the Boston replied, the Concord's shells exploding apparently 

inside the shore battery, which was silenced. 

At daybreak, as the fleet neared Cavite, two powerful submarine mines 

explode! with terrific noise just ahead of the flagship. The Olympia never 

faltered in her course. Commodore Dewey, who was on the deck with 

Captain Gridley, remembered Admiral Farragut's experience with torpedoes 

at Mobile Bay, and signaled his ships to never mind the torpedoes, but to steei/ 

straight ahead. 

Now for the Thunder of Battle. ^ 

The real battle began a few minutes later. The shore batteries commenced 
simultaneously with the shots from the Spanish fleet. The heat was intense. 
A boatswain's mate cried hoarsely. " Remember the Maine ! " and the cry 
was echoed by 500 men at the guns on the American vessels. The Olympia 
leading the way, steered for the centre of the Spanish fleet. It was now 
nearly 7 o'clock in the morning. The Spanish fleet faced their enemy^ 
flanked by the Cavite batteries on the south. 

Admiral Dewey, cool-headed, clear-eyed, firm, determined, gave the 
commander of the flagship the order to commence firing in six brief words 
that will go down through all the ages as one of the immortal commands of 
naval history. These were Dewey's words : 

" You may fire, Gridley, when ready." 

There were several sharp cracks, then a succession of deafening roars, 
and soon a cloud of smoke lay close upon the waters. The American ships 
were moving slowly, flames shooting from their sides, and answering flames 
leaping from the Spanish ships. From the fact that the American ships 
were alternately advancing and retreating in the course of their manceuver- 
ings, the people on shore were under the impression that the Yankees were 
being beaten. At 7.30 A. M. there was a lull. The wind blew away the 
haze and smoke, and those on shore saw flames burst from the bow of the 
Reina Cristina, the flagship of the Spani.sh fleet. She was burning fiercely 
when Commodore Dewey ordered his vessels to withdraw, to replenish the 
magazines and to prepare for a renewal of the attack. The fleet steamed 
down the bay a short distance, and the crews took advantage of the lull to 
get breakfast and a much-needed rest. Between 10 and 1 1 o'clock, when 
the Americans returned to the attack, the Spanish Admiral was seen to 
transfer his flag from the burning Cristina to the Isla de Cuba. Soon after 
the American fire was renewed the Cuba also burst into flames, and with two 
of their finest warships a mass of fire, confusion followed among the Spaniards. 
Shrieks and groans from the wounded filled the air, while on each vessel the 
•iecks were slippery with blood. 



92 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET, 

At 11.30 the Americans had silenced the batteries of Cavite, and ringing 
cheers came from the exhausted but triumphant crews of Dewey's vessels. 
The great battle of Manila Bay was won, and to American heroes was added 
the name of George Dewey, who had forced his way through forts and over 
mines into the heart of a hostile harbor, far from supplies or reinforcement 
and fought with success the first great engagement of iron-clads in the history 
of the world. 

In the afternoon the British Consul went out to the Olympia and asked 
that Manila be not bombarded. Commodore Dewey sent word ashore that 
he surely would bombard Manila at dawn of Monday unless the Spaniards sur- 
rendered all their torpedoes and all their guns and gave him control of the 
telegraph and cable wires. This message was delivered by the British Consul 
to Captain General Augusti at 8 o'clock on Sunday night. His answer was a 
prompt, utter refusal. Commodore Dewey took him at his word, and during 
the night prepared his plans for the important events that the morning would 

bring forth. 

All Eyes Turned Toward the Hero. 

Almost in a day George Dewey became the popular hero of two conti- 
nents. There is, perhaps, no parallel instance in American history of a great 
reputation so quickly made. Other military and naval commanders in the 
other wars have come rapidly to the front, but with them there was some 
battle of minor importance or the gradually spreading publicity of a campaign. 
There has never been another who in a single day sprang so dramatically 
from comparative obscurity to fame, world-wide and far-reaching. "One 
cannot calculate," declared James B. Eustis, ex-Ambassador of the United 
States to France, " the enhancement of American prestige and power that 
Dewey has brought about. He has taught the European nations that if we 
can slaughter our pigs in peace we can also slaughter our enemies in war. 
Our statesmen for a century have debated whether it was desirable for the 
United States to acquire territory. Admiral Dewey has settled the question. 
He has conquered a large foreign territory, and I am afraid he has given 
Uncle Sam a strong appetite for that sort of food. " 

During the latter part of May and early in June Admiral Dewey main- 
tained constant vigilance. Picket-boats, manned by blue-jackets and equipped 
with machine guns, were kept circling about each vessel every night. Every 
! gun of the secondary battery on each ship was manned, and one man of the 
gun crew watched, while the others kept within easy reach. All guns could 
be brought into action in half a minute. Powerful searchlights were 
active from nightfall until sunrise, and men followed the broad lines of ligh^ 
with powerful glasses. Any approaching vessel discovered by a searchligb* 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 



93 



was instantly fixed by all the searchlights, and this concentration of light 
drew all the picket-boats into its wake. If a strange boat was seen she was 
immediately ordered to come to, and woe betide her if the ortler was not 
instantly obeyed. There had been no hostile act after the Spanish flag was 
pulled down May 1st. The notice sent by Admiral Dewey to the Governor 




MANILA HARBOR— SCENE OF THE (JREAT H.\TTLE. 

General of Manila that any act of hostility would be followed by the destruc- 
tion of the city had borne good results. 

Early in July the Spanish power in the Philippines began to crumble. 
The insurgents closed in on the city of Manila, and fired on Malate, a mile 
and a half from the centre of the place containing the fort, magazine, tele- 
graph office and club house. Within the city the Spanish troops were in a 
pitiable state. 



94 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

Meanwhile the actions of the German warships, which had been in the bay 
since shortly after the victory of the American squadron, began to excite much 
interest and considerable irritation among the officers and men of the Ameri- 
can warships. Admiral Dewey was constantly receiving reports that the 
Germans were not observing an attitude of strict neutrality, but were doing 
what they could in an underhand manner to offset the conditions created by 
the blockade of Manila. According to these reports, they were assisting the 
Spaniards by landing flour and other supplies from their warships. Deserters 
from the Spanish lines told of seeing German officers in the Spanish trenches, 
where they were giving information as to the better strengthening of the 
defenses and otherwise making themselves useful to the enemies of the 
Americans. 

One of the regulations established by Admiral Dewey was that no boats 
would be permitted to move about the bay after dark. The Germans were 
well aware of this regulation, but several times they deliberately disregarded 
it. One night a German launch was discovered prowling about the bay. A 
searchlight was turned upon it, and for over an hour the boat was kept under 
the light, while its every action was closely scrutinized. Finally Admiral 
Dewey sent a boat to the launch, and asked, in a manner that admitted of no 
misunderstanding, that there be no movements of boats or vessels in the bay 
at night without his knowledge. 

Surrender of Manila. 

The first transports with reinforcements had arrived at Manila on June 
30th, and on July 26th Major General Merritt arrived with additional troops. 
On August 7th General Merritt and Admiral Dewey sent an ultimatum to the 
Spanish commander, and after diplomatic delays the final surrender of the 
city was made by agreement, whereby Governor-General Jaudenez was per- 
mitted to make a show of resistance to save the honor of Spain. The 
admiral's vessels fired a few shots, and the soldiers advanced with a small loss 
of life before the surrender was actually accomplished. 

A long period of inactivity followed the surrender of Manila and the 
close of the war, and the meeting of the Peace Commissioners in Paris added 
another long period of inactivity to Admiral Dewey's fleet. Now, no longer 
called upon to do battle, the great ships ot the squadron perform police duty 
among the many islands in the new Dewey group. 

During the long winter of 1898-9 Admiral George Dewey continued his 
diplomatic watchfulness of affairs in Philippine waters. The position in 
which he was placed was not an easy one. He was called upon to solve 
many difficult problems. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 95 

By the 1st of January, 1S99, the government had taken prompt and ener- 
getic action in sending reinforcements to Admiral Dewey. The battleship 
Oregon, with colliers and supply vessels, was well on the way to Manila before 
Christmas. On January iith the gunboat Princeton left the Brooklyn Yard 
for Manila, and was followed by the hospital ship Solace. The gunboat 
Helena was also sent to the Philippines, by way of the Suez Canal, and the 
same route was tak<m later by the Castine. The auxiliary cruiser Buffalo was 
also dispatched by the Mediterranean route to join Admiral Dewey, with men 
and supplies. 

A few days before the outbreak of the rebels occurred in February, 
Admiral Dewey sent word that the monitor Monadnock was guarding one end 
of the city, the Monterey the other, while the army protected the rear. He 
had sent word to the insurgent chief, Aguinaldo, that if, accidentally, the 
insurgents entered Manila he would reduce it to mortar and stone. 

President McKinley Honors the Admiral. 

Our Congress was quick to express the grateful feeling of the nation 
toward the Admiral, the action being prompted by the following message 
from President McKinley under date of May 9th, 1898 : 

To the Congress of the United States : On the 24th of April I directed 
the Secretary of the Navy to telegraph orders to Commodore George Dewey, 
of the United States Navy, commanding the Asiatic squadron then lying 
in the port of Hong Kong, to proceed forthwith to the Philippine Islands, 
there to commence operations and engage the assembled Spanish fleet. 

Promptly obeying that order the United States squadron, consisting of 
the flagship Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Boston, Concord and Petrel, with 
the revenue cutter McCulloch as an auxiliary dispatch boat, entered the 
harbor of Manila at daybreak on the 1st of May and immediately engaged 
the entire Spanish fleet of eleven ships, which were under the protection of 
the fire of the land forts. After a stubborn fight, in which the enemy suffered 
great loss, these vessels were destroyed or completely disabled and the water 
battery at Cavite silenced. Of our brave officers and men not one was lost 
and only eight injured, and those slightly. All of our ships escaped any 
serious damage. 

By the 4th of May Commodore Dewey had taken possession of the 
naval station at Cavite, destroying the fortifications there and at the entrance 
of the bay and paroling their garrisons. The waters of the baj' are unde/ 
his complete control. He has established hospitals within the Ameri an 
lines, where two hundred and fifty of the Spanish sick and wounded ar^ 
assisted and protected. 



96 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

The magnitude of this victory can hardly be measured by the ordinary 
standards of naval warfare. Outweighing any material advantage is the 
moral effect of this initial success. At this unsurpassed achievement the 
great heart of our nation throbs, not with boasting or with greed of conquest, 
but with deep gratitude that this triumph has come in a just cause and that 
by the grace of God an effective step has thus been taken toward the attain- 
ment of the wished-for peace. To those whose skill, courage and devotion 
have won the fight, to the gallant commander and the brave officers and men 
who aided him, our country owes an incalculable debt. 

Feeling as our people feel and speaking in their name I at once sent a 
message to Commodore Dewey, thanking him and his officers and men for 
their splendid achievement and overwhelming victory and informing him that 
I had appointed him an acting rear-admiral, 

I now recommend that following our national precedents and expressing 
the fervent gratitude of every patriotic heart the thanks of Congress be given 
Acting Rear-Admiral George Dewey, of the United States Navy, for highly 
distinguished conduct in conflict with the enemy, and to the officers and men 
under his command for their gallantry in the destruction of the enemy's fleet 
and the capture of the enemy's fortifications in the Bay of Manila. 

William McKinley. 

Congress Expresses the Thanks of the Nation. 

The following is the joint resolution offering the thanks of Congress to 
Admiral Dewey passed unanimously by both branches of Congress yesterday: 

Joint resolution tendering the thanks of Congress to Com.modore George 
Dewey, U. S. N., and to the officers and men of the squadron under his 
command. 

Resolved, By the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America, in Congress assembled, that in pursuance of the recom- 
mendation of the President, made in accordance with the provisions of 
section 1,508 of the Revised Statutes, the thanks of Congress and the Amer- 
ican people are hereby tendered to Commodore George Dewey, U. S. N., 
commander-in-chief of the Asiatic station, for highly distinguished conduct 
in conflict with the enemy as displayed by him in the destruction of the 
Spanish fleet and batteries in the harbor of Manila, Philippine Islands, May i, 
1898 : 

Section 2. That the thanks of Congress and of the American people are 
hereby extended through Commodore Dewey to the officers and men under 
his command, for the gallantry and skill exhibited by them on that occasion. 

Section 3. Be it further resolved, that the President of the United States 




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FATHER OF ADMIRAL GEORGE D€WEY 




GEORGE DEWEY AT THE AGE OF 34 




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A NATIVE FILIPINO FLOWER GIRL 




THE FAMOUS SKULL-PIT NEAR MANIL 
IT IS THE CUSTOM TO THROW THE DEAD BODIES OF PAUPERS TOGETHER IN t 
HEAP, LEAVING THEM TO DECAY, THEIR BONES PRESENTING 
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DESTRUCTION OF TIIK SPANISH JTJ-:KT. ft 

be requested to cause this resolution to be communicated to Commodore 
Dewey and through him to the officers and men under his command. 

It will be noticed that the President speaks of Dewey as Acting R«.-ar 
Admiral and Congress calls him Commodore. His naval rank at this time 
was that of Commodore, but he was made Acting Rear Admiral, and subse- 
quently upon recommendation was elevated to the rank of Admiral, the 
highest position in the Havy, which is his exclusive title. 

It is conceded by persons who are well informed that Governor Roose- 
velt, Assistant Secretary of our Navy at the time of which we speak, and 
afterward commander of the Rough Riders at Santiago, was the first to sug- 
gest that Dewey be placed in command of the Asiatic Squadron. Dewey 
foresaw before he went to his post in the Pacific that his chance had come, 
and said so just before he left Washington. One account of it is given by a 
naval officer, a captain, who gave Dewey a farewell dinner. 

" I had Dewey at dinner with me on board my ship. Over the cigars he 
got to talking reminiscently. Then he looked ahead and brightened up. 
' My chance has come,' he said, ' and I owe it largely to Theodore Roose- 
velt. Why he took such an interest in my application I don't know, for, 
though he was a friend of mine, we never were very intimate, and he seems 
to be the friend of the whole navy. There were three applicants, you know, 
and my claim wasn't the best. Some opposition arose, but the Assistant 
Secretary of the Navy overcame it, and I go.' 

" Then Dewey leaned back and said : ' You know Farragut didn't get 
his chance till he was over sixty, but he took it and — ' Dewey stopped and 
broke out in a laugh, as if to say, ' But what nonsense this is we are talking 
about Farragut and me.' '' 

Was the Choice of Colonel Roosevelt. 

Commodore Howell and Captain Matthews were the two other appli- 
cants for the Asiatic Squadron, and they both ranked Dewey. The matter 
was talked over in November some time. Mr. Roosevelt believed then that 
war was coming, and no one else did. He wanted the hardest fighter he 
could get for the Pacific, for there, he predicted, hard fighting would have to 
be done. So he urged Dewey. " That dude ! " they said. " No matter." said 
Roosevelt. " I know he will fight. I v.-aiit a man there who will take 
Manila." 

A friend of Mr. Roosevelt asked him once how he knew Dewey, whom 

many other people took for a mere dude, gentle, refined, easy-going ; hon- he 

recognized in him the fighter he sought. The Rough Rider's answer was 

characteristic. He leaned forward, screwed his eyebrows down and shewed 
7-D 



98 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

his teeth as he said : "You can always tell a fighter by looking into hi< 
eyes." 

But Mr. Roosevelt performed another service for Dewey. This is not so 
well known. Having gotten Dewey his chance, he saw to it that it was not 
lost to him. When it became necessary to order the Asiatic Squadron away 
from Hong Kong on account of the neutrality laws, which would close Eng- 
land's hospitality to us, it was proposed to direct Dewey to "proceed to 
Manila, reconnoitre for the Spanish fleet and blockade the port." It was part 
of the original war policy to blockade Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines. 
That made Mr. Roosevelt angry, and he and the fighters in the administration 
opposed it with all their might. They were overreached on the Atlantic for 
awhile, and they did not seem to gain much on the Pacific. 

"Dewey will Know what That Means." 

Mr. Roosevelt wanted the cable to Dewey to read: " Go to Manila and 
smash the Spanish fleet." He said it was necessary to take Manila to get 
coal. But, of course, that order did not pass. Then the fighters got their 
heads together and suggested as a compromise that Dewey be directed to sail 
to Manila and proceed " according to military rules," or some such vague 
phrase as that. It was about the time there was so much talk about hamper- 
ing commanders, and Mr. Roosevelt said that would not hamper Dewey. To 
his fighting friends he said : I know Dewey, and you can bet Dewey will 
know what that phrase means." 

A further account of the battle of Manila from one of the men behind 
the guns, possesses special interest. William G. Kramer, of Danville, Pa., 
received a letter from his son which gave a very excellent account of the 
battle, the more especially as it described personal experiences. Frank N. 
Kramer, the son, was on the Petrel, which took a big part in the battle, and 
after giving the familiar details relative to the movements of the fleet previous 
to the battle, he says : 

" It was without exception the greatest and most selemn moment of my 
life, and I had ample time to think and realize it all while momentarily 
expecting the fire of the enemy. You know what the suspense before the battle 
is, that time of dreadful waiting, which every soldier so fears and detests. I 
fiave often heard veterans tell of it, but now I know it, and the memory of it 
will always .stay with me, and when I get to be an old and decrepit man it 
will be as vivid and real as it was that May day morning in the tropics. 

"While we still looked the first faint flush of dawn came, and we dis- 
covered the ships we were heading for to be a fleet of merchantmen, sailing 
ships of all nations ; drawn up there out of the line of fire. The flagship 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH 1'LP:ET 99 

immediately put about and headed to the southwest, and tlicn, the light; 
l:»ecoming rapidly brighter, we saw the Spaniards and their men-of-war drawn 
up in line of battle, well up in front of the fortifications of Cavite. There 
appeared to be about eight ships, some at anchor and some moving slowly 
along the shore while others were seen in the little harbor by the navy-yard. 
" The flagship headed directly for them, the rust following as before. 
When we were within two and a half miles of them they opened fire, which 
was answered instantly by the flagship and Concord. Their shots all fell a 
thousand yards short. The skipper says, ' By gosh, this looks like business, 
Wood,' and sang out to sound quarters. In a minute every one in the fleet 
was at his station, the Stars and Stripes on every mast and peak in the ships, 
and the ball was going merrily on. We manoeuvered, up one side and down 
the other, like the Virginia Reel. It was beautiful, and worked like clock- 
work, not a hitch anywhere. 

Riddled from Stem to Stern. 

" The range was given by the navigator in the foretrucks to me, and I 
passed it aft to the 6-inch guns and secondary batteries. It ranged from iSoo 
to 20OO yards. In a short time we saw one ship on fire, the Reina Cristina, 
their most formidable cruiser. She started to come toward us, but a 6-inch 
shell from us and an 8-inch from the Olympia burst her boilers and gutted 
her from stem to stern. The Spanish bravely fought her after she was en 
fire. One hundred and fifty men, including her captain, were killed by those 
two shots. We kept up the firing for over two hours, then hauled oft" on 
account of the smoke ; it was so hot and sultry that it hung on the water in 
vast clouds and hid the shore from sight. 

" We could not tell the effect of our fire very well on account of the dis- 
tance. Their fire was coming from their ships and forts ; also from their bat- 
teries, away over at Manila. While it was rapid and constant it took no 
effect, either going over our heads or falling far short. They seemed unable 
to get our range, while we had no trouble in finding them. Our ship did 
exceptionally good shooting, and as our vessels passed each other on their 
way to and fro we would cheer and yell like demons. We improved the 
time by eating a hasty breakfast, while the enemy kept up a desultor}^ fire, 
doing no damage. Three of their ships were on fire and sinking, while the 
others that were able to steam were making for the little harbor back of the 
navy-yard, which afforded them some protection and allowed them to fire 
over the mole at us, while the forts and batteries in Cavite could keep up their 
fire without fear of hitting them. 

"Commanding oflficers went aboard the flagship, and at 11.30 the 



100 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

captain returned and said : ' Well, we are going inside ; one bold move will 
do the trick now, and we are going to make it. Don't waste a shot, and 
make every one tell.' We were waiting to hear from the captain what 
damage had been done to our ships and went wild when he told us that not 
one drop of American blood had been shed as yet, and that the only hits were 
one on the Olympia, hardly making a mark, one, a six-pounder, through the 
Baltimore's wardroom eight feet above waterline, doing no damage — just 
passed in one side and out the other, and was still going, while we were not 
touched. 

A Big Shell Explodes Near. 

" But one big shell struck about thirty feet off our starboard bow and 
threw the water as high as the foremast, drenching every one in that part of 
the ship, for which they were very thankful, for it was awfully hot ; another 
one struck twenty yards off the starboard beam, ricocheted right ov er the 
ship and alighted fifty yards on the other side, while we could hear that 
awful scream continually over our heads. After the first few shots the men 
acted as though they were at drill, no confusion of any kmd, and every one 
did his duty without exception. We worked hard and quickly, and the cap- 
tain, in complimenting us a day or so afterward, said that ' there was not 
nearly so much noise and confusion as at general quarters in a peaceful port. 
It was like target practice, only the target was firing back.' At 1 1.45 we got 
under way and stood in for Cavite, the Baltimore leading by request of her 
captain, who is an old war horse and a volunteer officer, one of the very few 
left in the navy. (A favorite expression of his in speaking to or correcting 
an officer is : ' You fellows came through the Naval Academy with ;$30,000 
worth of education to back you up ; I came through the hawser pipe, but I 
know better than that.') 

" In the meantime the Concord had started off to the north after a crippled 
steamer, which was trying to make her way over to Manila for protection, still 
keeping up a steady fire. The Baltimore started out, heading directly for the 
southern end of the sand pits; she kept steaming in until she was within 1200 
yards of the shore, then turned her big broadside on and steamed slowly and 
steadily along, almost creeping, her big guns booming with lightning-like 
rapidity and making fearful havoc among the shore batteries, which were re- 
turning shot for shot, which struck all around her. We were expecting to 
see her sunk before our eyes every minute, but she kept on and on, keeping 
up her fire as steadily as before. 

"Oh, the grandeur, the glory of it! To see that shipful of brave men, 
under the most galling fire the Spaniards put up during the whole day was ft 
sight fit for gods to look upon. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 101 

" My life up to now has been of little use to any one, and myself least of 

all ; but after witnessing that glorious spectacle I feel and know that I have 

not lived in vain, and that it was worth a whole lifetime to see what we saw 

that day at Manila. At one time her motion was hardly perceptible, and wc 

felt sure she was fatally struck, but no, she kept on to the end. The Olympia 

had started after her in her very tracks, and the Petrel after the Olympia. 

We came along just as she did, but, although the firing from the fortifications 

was still lively, the worst of it had been silenced by Captain Dyer, of the 

Baltimore. 

A Ship Fighting all Alone. 

" Our ship stood in until within 800 yards of the shore, and stopped and 
blazed away, all alone, until the Spanish flags had been hauled down and a 
flag I had never seen before, the white flag, hoisted in their places on the 
government fortifications. Our captain, from his place on the bridge, turned 
around to his crew, who were all blacker and dirtier than the worst tramp 
you ever saw, some undressed, scarcely a rag on them ; others covered with 
rags, their clothes torn and burnt by powder, sweat running down their faces ; 
the decks covered and littered with all kinds of battle gear, ammunition and 
soot — but no blood. The officers were no better off than the men, every one 
as deaf as a post, but happy, gloriously happy. Each of us wore a gleam 
on our black, dirty faces not often seen. 

" The captain yelled out, 'You did nobly, my lads, damme, I'm proud of 
you, that's what I am — proud of you 1 Boatswain, pipe all hands to splice 
the main brace ; ' then followed something I had never seen before. The 
doctor and apothecary brought up two gallons of whiskey and wc fell in line, 
officers and all, and we got a stiff jolt. It was against the rules of the blue 
book, but we needed it, and that badly, for we were exhausted from heat and 
hard work, smoke and lack of proper food. 

" After wc had rested a few minutes the captain called for volunteers to 
man the first whaleboat to go ashore and set fire to the remaining ships. Of 
course every one wanted to go. I was among the first, and pleaded so piti- 
fully that he laughed and said, * Yes, orderly, you had a pretty hard time of 
it to-day, so take off your belt and get a rifle and get in the boat.' I had 
worn a web belt loaded with ten pounds of cartridges all day and was played 
out, but that whiskey put life in me for anything. Well, we got away from 
the .ship with ten men and Mr. Hughes, executive officer, in charge. The 
ship covered our landing, about 200 yards from shore. When we got there 
'we landed and were immediately surrounded by a crowd of Spanish naval 
and army officers and hundreds of blue-jackets from their ships; dead and 
wounded were being carried around everywhere on stretchers. 



102 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

" We were at the navy yard, near the arsenal buildings. Every one was 
laboring under the most intense excitement, and the officers ahnost hysterical. 
They saluted us with both hands, and it was some time before we could make 
ourselves understood. Then one, who appeared to be the officer in command 
introduced himself to Mr. Hughes and, after searching his pockets in vain 
for a card, tore off his epaulets and presented them with a bow. Mr. Hughes 
told them that he had come over to burn those ships lying in there ; then a 
howl went up, ' No, no, Senor, no, no ! ' He told them if they intended to 
fire on them he would return to the ship. They made haste to say, ' No, no,' 
again. ' Then,' said he, ' I am going to carry out our orders.' 

Hunting for a Lost Admiral. 

"They wanted him to wait until they hunted up their admiral, who had 
disappeared (and, by the way, has not turned up yet), but he said he had no 
time, and we shoved off to the Isla de Cuba and went aboard. She showed 
signs of having been fought in the forenoon, riddled with small shot, such as 
three and six-pounders and thirty-seven millimeter. Her guns had been 
made useless by throwing the breech plugs overboard when she was abandoned. 
Everything was left just as it was when she was fighting, lots of blood but 
nobody aboard, except a monkey and a cat, which we brought off with us. 
We went from ship to ship, Isla de Cuba, Luzon, General Lezo, Marquis del 
Luero and Don Juan of Austria. The latter had some officers aboard, who 
had followed us from shore, and when we boarded her they begged pitifully 
to spare this one, for she was a beauty sure enough, but we had our orders to 
burn and destroy and we carried them out to the letter, 

" Before 5 P. M. seven handsome ships were blazing away, and two days 
later nothinj^ could be seen of the Spanish fleet but a few burnt masts stick- 
ing dismally and forlornly out of the ^vater, a resting place for weary sea 
gulls and fish hawks. All the ships we boarded were elegantly and luxuri- 
ously furnished. In some of them the mess gear had been spread and 
eatables and wine were littered around the decks in profusion. We procured 
a great many curios, but none of real value, as the lieutenant would not let 
us take anything bulky. I procured some letters, charts and photographs, 
and on the Don Juan saw a package of letters on the captain's desk and 
stood there and tore the stamps off the envelopes for Walter. The other men 
got swords, revolvers, rifles, but don't know what to do with them, as they 
have no room to stow them. The rifles, by the way, were magazine guns of 
the very latest make. 

" The next day the Spanish officers came alongside our ship to arrange 
the surrender of Cavite to Captain Lamberton, who represented the Com- 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 103 

niodorc. They were nervous and trcmblin<j like leaves, poor fellows, and 

when told th.it we did not intend to bombard Manila could hardly believe it. 

ThciiC people cannot understand why we do not murder and kill every one 

, in sight. That night at 5 o'clock afier some parley the Spanish vacated the 

. beautiful site and town of Cavite and left in our hands property amounting to 

' nf^.illions of dollars. 

" They did not want to go. Their homes were there, although their 
families had been removed to Manila weeks before. They were afraid of the 
rebels, whom, by 150 years of the most outrageous cruelty, they had taught 
to hate them more than the Cubans do and from whom they could hope for 
no mercy. Thus far the rebels have remained quiet and in communication 
with our commodore. The Spanish army is in camp some ten miles out in 
the foot hills about 15,000 strong. The rebels have possession of all the 
railroads and seem to control the situation. 

Demonstrations of Rejoicing. 

" After we had burnt all the bhips and cca.sed firing we went out to the 
fleet, which lay some 4000 yards off watching us, and when we came along- 
side of them, Ihey cheered and cheered us one after another loud and long. 
We could not understand it at all, their officers and captains would yell 
'Three cheers for Captain Wood, and the baby,' and how they would 
respond, while our little old man was bobbing ^i<? head off with joy. I did 
not know then what it meant, but do now ; when we went in that last time, 
we were nearer Heaven than we had ever been before, but that is a long story 
and I will tell it later. 

" When the captain made his report to the Commodore, the latter shak- 
ing his hands before the whole crew of the Olympia, said : ' Captain Wood, 
by heavens, if there are words beautiful enough and adequate enou^jh in the 
English language, to describe the movements and work of yourself, ship and 
crew to-day, I'll make it my duty to hunt them out and send them to 
America.* 

" The old man said that night he had been waiting and working for fifty- 
six years for those words and they had come at last and he did not care what 
came after that. 

" The other day when we returned from one of our frequent trips down 
the bay destroying guns and batteries, we saw as we drew nearer that the old 
Burgee, with one white star, had disappeared from the mainmast of the 
Olympia, and in its place was the big blue flag with two white stars of the 
Rear Admiral. The McCulloch had returned with the thanks of the Presi- 
dent, Congress and the American people, and our great Commodore had been 



104 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

made Rear- Admiral. It was a great day ; we manned yards and yelled our- 
selves hoarse." 

A marine on the Baltimore sent a letter to his brother, containing an 
account of the battle at Manila. Accompanying the communication was a 
copy of the Searchlight, a four-page paper, eight by ten inches, published 
on the Baltimore. The leading article, headed in red type " War ! " contained 
a description of the movements of the Baltimore from the time on April 25, 
when, as part of the American squadron, she left Ilong Kong for the Philip- 
pine Islands, under command of Admiral Dewey, until after the battle. 

In speaking of the advance upon Manila the article s lys : " Every man 
was at his station, eagerly on the lookout, and just spoiling for a fight ; and, 
indeed, on the morrow, * we didn't do a t'ing to 'em.' With early dawn we 
were off to the city of Manila, eagerly scanning the harbor for the enemy's 
fleet, and soon made them out, drawn up off and inside Sangley Point at 
Cavite, their fortified navy yard. 

Ready to Meet the Enemy. 

" There were nine ships, all steaming except the Castilla, which ship was 
moved head and stern off the point, with her port battery bearing. Their 
flagship, Reina Cristina, marked the left flank, and their fleet was supported 
by shore batteries. When, at 5.05, by order from flagship to prepare for 
general action, the stai-c ^^'^. stripes were broke from every masthead and 
peak, everybody silently took their places, grim resolve written on every 
countenance. 

" The Spaniards started the ball at 5.15, and kept it going with no inter- 
ruption from our fleet, which kept advancing in the teeth of the enemy's fire, 
preferring to save our ammunition for a closer range. About twenty-five 
minutes elapsed before we returned the fire, at about 6,000 yards' range, and 
then the battle was on in earnest. Steaming in column before Cavite, mak- 
ing five turns, two to the westward and three to the eastward, the Americans 
soon made it evident that the Spaniards 'were not in it.' Their fire, although 
kept up with wonderful persistency, proved entirely harmless, while ours 
raked their ships fore and aft. 

" Early in the action it was seen that their flagship was on fire. She 
kept up the fight bravely for a time, but was finally abandoned, their admiral 
transferring his flag to the Castilla, their next largest ship. After less than 
two hours constant pouring in of the broadsides it was discovered that the 
Castilla was also on fire, with the balance of the enemy's fleet retreating inside 
the breakwater. We were masters of the situation, and our admiral gave 
orders to withdraw from action. Standing off in the bay out of range ci 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 105 

the enemy's guns, which kept up a weak fire, we had breakfast and a brief 
rest. 

" At 10.45 ^^c again made for Cavite, the Baltimore loading. We opened 
fire on the enemy's fortifications at a range of about 2,500 yards, and were 
later joined by the balance of the fleet. It did not take long to silence the 
forts, and the only remaining ships of the enemy, the Mindanao and the 
Ulloa, were sunk ; the latter going down stern first, with her colors flying. 

" Our smaller vessels steaming close inshore, kept up the destructive 
work, and the Petrel went inside to destroy shipping, soon running up the 
signal that the enemy had surrendered. At 12.50 not a Spanish flag was 
seen flying at or over Cavite ; but several white ones had been hoisted, and 
the task set before us being accomplished, our fleet, with the exception of a 
suitable patrol, withdrew to an anchorage off the city of Manila. That was 
the end of the fight, and a good day's work it was, as the Spaniards lost all 
their ships, their navy yard and forts were entirely destroyed, they had 423 
killed and missing, and 490 wounded in their hospitals, while the Americans 
were unharmed, but for a few slightly wounded, and, although our ships were 
hit several times the damages sustained were so small that they hardly war- 
rant mention. 

" Since then our fleet has been anchored in Manila Harbor, doing little 
as far as fighting goes, although sharp lookouts are kept at all times for a 
possible night attack." 

Invaluable Mementoes of the Battle. 

One of the arrivals at the port of Philadelphia, was the fine British ship 
Dalcairne, direct from Manila. She was on the scene of the great naval 
battle which resulted in Dewey's annihilation of the Spanish fleet under 
Admiral Montojo. She dropped anchor at Girard Point 141 days from the 
harbor of Cavite, landing 10,998 bales of hemp. 

The Dalcairne was the first vessel to arrive at Philadelphia bearing eye- 
witnesses of the thrilling scenes of May i. She had on board a most inter- 
esting collection of souvenirs of the battle. In her hold were securely 
packed away two guns of historic interest. One from the cruiser Baltimore, 
presented by Admiral Dewey to the Monumental City to commemorate the 
deeds done by its namesake, and the other from the ill-fated Reina Castilla, 
which became the property of the Navy Department at Washington. 

Besides these invaluable mementoes of the engagement, Cajjtain Jones 
was the possessor of relics and trinkets galore from the abandoned hulks of 
the defeated Dons. While in harbor at Manila the Dalcairne was visited by 
Admiral Dewey who presented several gifts to the captain. The guns were 



106 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

secured at Cavite from Consul General Williams. Captain Jones would have 
secured many more articles had it not been for the depredations committed 
by the crew of a Nova Scotian bark in the vicinity, who looted the shattered 
vessels of all portable articles with the skill of accomplished wreckers. 

On the morning of the naval battle, about 2 o'clock, all were sleeping on 
the Dalcairne except the watch and the steward, who notified Captain Jones 
in his berth of the approach of the American squadron. Very little time 
was consumed by the ship's company in tumbling out of their hammocks 

and berths. 

The position of the Dalcairne was a perilous one, being directly in the 
line of fire of the Spanish ships. Their guns, apparently elevated too high, 
however, buried their destructive missiles slightly above the Britisher, and 
she was consequently struck only once by a shell, which tore away a portion 
of her top hamper. Still, had it not been for the fact that the American 
ships manoeuvred so constantly, Captain Jones thinks that his vessel must 
have sustained serious damage. The smoke hung so heavily that it was 
difficult to see anything of the engagement after it was well on, but the crew 
saw one thing distinctly, and that was the heroic work of Admiral Montojo in 
transferring his flag to another vessel under a rainof death-dealing projectiles. 

" How that little boat escaped utter destruction," said Captain Jones, " is 
a mystery. Every man on her was a hero, but the Spanish admiral dis- 
counted for coolness anything that has ever come under my observation 
During that perilous passage of a mile or more he stood upright in the stern 
perfectly unmoved, although splashes of water flew repeatedly over the little 
craft from the fragments of shell and larger shot which exploded frequently 
within a few yards of her. We all held our breath until Montojo was safe 
out of the frying pan into the fire, as the saying is, and we all devoutly hoped 
he would cross that expanse of water in safety. It was an example of un- 
paralleled heroism." 

The choicest specimen in Captain Jones' collection was a brass deckplate 
from the Reina Castilla. It bears her name and has the shipbuilder's number 
of the yard in which she was built, engraved upon it. 

Jackies' Story of Admiral Dewey. 

One of the brave jackies who " was with Dewey " at the battle of Manila 
6ay told this new anecdote of the great admiral. The teller was a sailor of 
the cruiser Boston, and his story was this : 

" The most affecting incident which occurred, and which all of the 
sailors will remember through their lives, was the action of a powder boy. 
These boys act as aids to captains and lieutenants in carrying messages and 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 107 

doing errands. When the order was given to strip for action one of tlie boys 
tore his coat off hurriedly, and it fell from his hands and went over the rail, 
down into the bay. A few moments before he had been gazing on hii, 
mother's photograph, and just before he took his coat off he had kissed the 
picture and put it in his inside pocket. When the coat fell overboard he 
turned to the captain and asked permission to jump over and g^t it. 

" Naturally the request was refused. The boy then went to the other 
side of the ship and climbed down the ladder. He swam around to the 
place where the coat had dropped, and succeeded in getting it. I believe it 
was still floatmg when he got there. When he came back he was ordered in 
chains for disobedience. After the battle he was tried by a court-martial for 
disobedience and found guilty. Commodore Dewey became interested in the 
case, for he could not understand why the boy had risked his life and dis- 
obeyed orders for a coat. The lad had never told what his motives were. 
But when the commodore talked to him in a kindly way, and asked him why 
he had done such strange things for an old coat, he broke into tears and told 
the commodore that his mother's picture was in the coat. 

" Commodore Dewey's eyes filled with tears as he listened to the story. 
Then he picked up the boy in his arms and embraced him. He ordered the 
little fellow to be instantly released, and pardoned. ' Boys who love their 
mothers enough to risk their lives for her picture cannot be kept in irons on 
this fleet,' he said. 

" Just before the action the boys all exchanged keepsakes and intrusted 
numerous packages to each other to send to their homes in case they were 
killed in action. One of the misfortunes on the Boston was the great scar- 
city of tobacco the morning of the battle. Almost all the sailors were out 
of the weed. But one man had over a pound, and he divided it in equal lots 
among his comp.mions, keeping only the regular share for himself." 

Remarkable EfiBciency of Modern Battleships. 

The reader who examines the pictures of modern battleships must be 
struck with the fact that they present an entirely different appearance from the 
old warships, that were in use up to a comparative!)- recent period. The 
fighting top is now considered essential to the efficiency of a naval vessel. It 
figured largely in the Spanish-American war, and some account of it will be 
of interest. The story of the fighting top reaches back centuries before the 
Christian era ; in fact, back to the earliest time when war craft might pardon- 
ably be 'tailed ships b\' virtue of their successful struggle with wave and 
tempest ; and, amid the rapid changes of to-day, it is hard to trace the con- 
nection between those ancient craft with their rude equipments and the 



108 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

modern battleships, fierce and strong, by right of the power she has plucked 
from the bowels of the earth and turned to her own purposes of might and 
majestic dominance. 

The carvings and drawings of the war craft of the ancient Egyptians and 
Asiatics, two thousand years before Christ, bear the embryo of the military 
top perched at the masthead of the single spars that bore their sails then. It 
vas merely a rough basket-like arrangement in which one or two men might 
iStand and assail the warriors of the foe where they crouched behind the 
sheltering bulwarks of bucklers hung against the sides. Perched high above, 
the men in the " gabie," as later it was called, picked off, like sharp-shooters, 
the enemy before he could come aboard or tempted him into open exposure 
and the consequences such rashness brought. 

Used as a Defense Against Pirates. 

Down upon the foe's deck the hurtling spear was sent, while the topmen 
rested far above retaliation save from the enemy's topmen, if he had any. 
During the time of the naval struggles between the Greeks and the Romans, 
the fighting tops disappeared, for it was customary then to lower the masts 
and trust only to the great sweeps or oars when going into action. Strange 
as it may seem the merchant vessels alone carried fighting tops then, and for 
the purpose only of meeting the attack of pirates, with whom nearly every 
sea was then infested. 

Those tops were not unlike casks, and, with two or three men in them, 
could be hoisted well up and into position in time to be of service. Many of 
our large merchant liners and all whalers carry a somewhat similar arrange- 
ment well up on their masts to-day, and, from the crow's nest, as it is now 
called, most of the lookout duty is now done. The Japanese have adopted 
something of the kind for their modern naval vessels, and the cut of the 
Chitose's mast is typical. 

As the ships grew in power their masts had to be heightened by splicing 
on additional spars, and to give spread for the stays and shrouds that held 
them in place, a platform was built at the top of the lower mast. There the 
archer and spearman found ample room for his work, and the Saxon chroni- 
cles of that lusty writer, Sir John P'roissart, in the latter part of the fourteenth 
century give us some very interesting accounts of the damage inflicted upon 
the French, the Spanish, and the Genoese by the topmen of the British ships, 
Down upon the fragile structures of wood they hurled great stones that bore 
down the foe in great bleeding masses, tore through their decks, opened 
their seams, and sent them to the bottom in a style that Sir John makes highly 
commendable. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. lOd 

In the seventeenth century we find the tops broad and open, save for the 
after part, where a wooden breastwork was reared to shield the topmen. 
Why only the after part should have been singled out for protection, is open 
for speculation ; but it is not improbable that the sails before the mast cov- 
ered to a great extent the marksmen in the top, and behind the mast only 
did they need supplemental protection. These wooden bulwarks in the tops 
were variously painted according to the nationality of the ship; and for a 
couple of hundred years that style of top prevailed, and in form, square be- 
hind and rounded in front, still is in vogue in modern sail-powered naval vessels. 

During all the frigate actions of the war of 1812, the sharpshooters in the 
tops of the various ships did excellent work, and there it was the marine 
showed what could be expected of him, even though he stood out with no 
shelter other than a stray hammock or so hastily triced up for his protection. 

Our Navy Furnished with Military Masts. 

The first of our ships of the new navy had tops that were practically 
steel duplicates of those of the late war; and but for the presence of modern 
rapid-fire guns, were really of less defensive value than those of 1870 or 
thereabouts. It wasn't till we began to build our battleships that we really 
launched out into regular modern military masts, and then we followed in 
principle the practices of the French. 

The modern mast on a battleship is purely for military purposes, namely, 
(U such ships that are without a spread of canvas of any sort, and its duty 
now is principally for a service that was once merely incidental to those of 
the sailing ship. To bear signals is its first mission, and then to carry an 
armament of rapid-fire guns with which to meet the attack of torpedo-boats, to 
sweep the open ports, and to enfilade the unprotected gun-stations of an eneni\-. 

With Gatling guns pouring out a veritable rain of bullets at the rate of 
2,000 a minute, and with other heavier automatic guns capable of hurling a 
hundred or more of one-pound shell in the same time the modern military 
top is something to be considered where the hand-grenade, the stink-balls, 
and the rocks of the past might be dismissed with a shrug. 

There is but little doubt that the French have set the pace for the modern 
fighting top, and so luxuriantly have their ves.sels developed these growths in 
riotous profusion and variet}' of forms that it was no wonder we soon heard 
of wanting stability in their ships. Their most recent designs are decidedly 
moderated, but still bear the hall mark of great freedom. With the French 
the idea has been to cover entirely the positions of the guns and the men in 
the tops to give the navigator a chance to guide his ship in action from a 
point well above the smoke of the guns, aod, too, to bear aloft the search- 



110 DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 

lights. Wherever a closed-in top is found on ships of other nations it is o\ 
French inspiration. 

The British have almost exclusively held to an open or uncovered top, 
the only real protection to either guns or men being the shields carried on 
the weapons themselves. 

With us the gunboats Wilmington and Helena represent the greatest 
development of the military mast, in all it means for fighting and signal pur- 
poses, for conning the ship, and for the carriage of that great shining eye that 
is to look far into the night. The conning tower, so to speak, is just below 
the lower top, and is reached through the mast proper. Just because of this 
curious type of mast, one of the enemy's large auxiliary cruisers took one of 
these boats for a battleship the other day, and lost no time in hustling for the 
distant horizon. 

The national tendencies of the various navies are marked by the military 
masts their recent vessels bear, and whether they seek their inspiration from 
Great Britain or France it is easy enough to tell. The Russians are unset- 
tled ; Austria is equally divided ; Germany leans toward the French, while 
the Japanese and the Italians follow the English. 




CHAPTER VII. 

Admiral Dewey's Account of his Grand Achievement. 

HE whole country was startled by the unexpected new? of the grear 
American naval victory at Manila. It was not known that naval 
operations were going on in the far East, yet, while the popular 
attention was focused on events in Cuba as being nearer home. 
Admiral Dewey had been grimly carrying out the orders given him. 

On May 1st the world was astounded by a brief cablegram — unofficial — 
that Admiral Montojo's fleet, at Manila, had been utterly destroyed. The cable 
to the Philippine Archipelago was a Spanish one, and the ominous slience at 
Madrid served to corroborate the early rumors. It was not until Dcvt^y's 
messenger reached Hong Kong two days later, however, that the news of" his 
victory was officially confirmed. 

" Not one Spanish flag flies in Manila bay to-day; not one Spanish warship 
floats except as our prize," was Admiral Dewey's soul-stirring message that 
enthused the nation and startled the European powers. 

An echo almost of Perry's famous bulletin, " We have met the enemy 
and they are ours," and in truth Dewey's achievement proved to have no other 
parallel in history than Perry's famous victory on Lake Erie in 1813, unless 
it be Farragut's attack on the forts in Mobile Bay in 1864, for which the cre- 
ation of the office of vice-admiral was not deemed too high a reward, and in 
which the gallant hero of Manila had taken part. 

Through the British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain, who desired 
him to leave Hong Kong Harbor without delay, did Commodore Dewey first 
hear, on Sunday, April 24th, that a state of war existed between this country 
and Spain. 

His squadron, consisting of the Olympia, B.iltimore, Raleigh, Petrel, 
'Concord, Boston, with the revenue cutter McCulloch and the supply ships 
Nanshan and Zafiro, was ordered to rendezvous at Mirs Bay, thirty miles dis- 
tant, and being compelled to wait there for the arrival of the United States 
Consul at Manila, did not leave anchorage until the 27th; but when it did 
so, it was with the commander's openly expressed determination to fight the 
enemy the ver>'- first day he could get at them. 

The Island of Luzon was passed on April 30th, and the arrival of the 

111 



112 



STORY OF MANILA. 



American fleet was at once cabled to Manila, even as their leaving Hong Kong 
had undoubtedly been announced in hastily written despatches to the Span- 
iards at that place. 

Still, the commander of the Spanish fleet either miscalculated our speed 
or perchance doubted our coming, for, when the Concord and Boston were 
sent forty miles away to reconnoitre Subig Bay (where he had planned to mf^^^' 
and annihilate us), not a ship of his was found there. 




ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 

On receipt of this information the commodore signaled for a council of 
war and it was decided to run the batteries at the entrance of Manila Bay at 
midnight. 

Corregidor Island, at the mouth of the bay, many miles from the city, 
was reached at the appointed time; and now, cautiously, noiselessly, and 
without any light but a hooded sternligl': en each ship to guide the following 
one, our squadron entered the chann«'i-. 



STORY OF MANILA. ll.i 

Rockets fired from the summit of the Corrcgidor and answered from the 
mainland pronij)ted the fear that we had been discovered; it was a false alarm; 
but presently, when the six fighting ships had passed the island fort, and now 
showed their sternlights not to their followers only, but to the enemy, blind- 
ing flashes from the outermost mainland battery, immediately followed by a 
shot, and another and a third, made it plain that we no longer advanced 
unseen. 

Three shots from the Concord, the Boston and the McCulloch, however, 
silenced the fort; and through the darkness of the cloudy night we steamed 
slowly forward, the men lulled to rest at their stations on deck by the peaceful 
rolling of the midnight tropical sea, the commanders bending their every 
thought on the encounter which was now felt to be imminent and of uncertain 
duration. 

By five o'clock Manila lay four miles ahead of the advancing fleet to the 
eastward ; Cavite, with its arsenals and naval depot, was on their right, seven 
miles from the capital. A harmless shot greeted them from Manila, while on 
their starboard a roar of guns was heard, from Cavite; there it was that the 
enemy lay; thers they should attack him forthwith. 

Ships Were Kept Moving. 

And now, the faithful pupil of Farragut, who had displayed such judg- 
ment in the planning of the nightly invasion of the bay, his selection of the 
channel south of Corregidor Island, and his safe piloting of his squadron 
within sight of the foe, now set about giving the world one more illustration 
of the advantage possessed by battling ships kept in motion over vessels at 
anchor. 

Swinging round in Indian file, our six battleships first made straight for 
the fort, under whose protection the Spaniards lay; then facing the fire that 
poured upon the batteries, and soon after from the Spanish ships, to and fro 
they steadily wheeled in front of the little harbor, describing a weird figure 
eight in that cyclone of shell and shot, and belching forth incessant broadsides 
now from the port-side and then from the starboard. 

Out of her hiding-place came the Spanish admiral's flagship, the Reina 

Christina, only to prove her inability to withstand the storm of steel directed 

upon her ; and as she endeavored to make a hasty retreat, a shell from the 

Olympia completely wrecked her. A second sortie by the Spanish admiral 

aboard another flagship (the Isla de Cuba) shared the same fate, and the 

deathly havoc went on with appalling relcntlessness for two hour'^. when lo, 

the United States flagship Olympia was seen moving towards the centre of 

the bay, followed by her subordinates. 
8— D 



114 STORY OF MANILA. 

What could the Spaniards conclude but that, calamitous as the encounter 
had proved to them, it must have been equally disastrous to the Americans ? 
The up-to-date Krupp guns on yonder shore batteries had evidently chastised 
the invader's temerity ; for were not these finer and larger than any gun in 
their fleet ? And see, the " Yankee pigs " were, one and all, retiring from the 
fray. Not one of the gallant ships, however, had been seriously injured ; 
among our brave fellows not one precious life had been lost; their com- 
mander had simply come to tke conclusion that they had earned a little rest, 
and he was taking them out of the clouds of smoke and the stifling heat of 
the battle for the commonplace, unheroic purpose of giving them their 
breakfast. 

The foe had apparently forgotten, if ever they had read of it, how, on the 
1st of June, 1794, the British admiral, Earl Howe, hove to for an hour, so as 
to enable his men to fortify themselves with a sustantial meal, before attack- 
ing the French off Ushant and routing them, as they subsequently did. Our 
gallant and indomitable Dewey was now but perpetuating the traditions of 
Anglo-Saxon humaneness and Anglo-Saxon practical forethought in Manila, 

— that was all. 

Back to the charge our men returned with renewed energy at 10.45 ,after 
a three hours' recess ; back to the duel of desperation on one side and the 
composure of self-confidence on the other, which was soon to shatter the last 
remnants of Admiral Montojo's hopes. 

One after another his ships were sunk, burned, or captured ; one by one 
his batteries were silenced, and in the noon-day sun of that May day, the 
last of the Spanish flags struck on Cavite fort. In one day Spain had lost ten 
warships, not to speak of her torpedo boats and transports, and some 1200 of 
her defenders were killed or wounded. Not one death on our side had 
marred our victory ; eight of the Baltimore crew had paid for their bravery 
with more or less trifling wounds, and the injury done to our nine battleships 
was not thought to exceed ^5,000. 

An Insolent Spanish Governor. 

Exactly seven days before this epoch-making engagement, Governor- 
General Basilio Augustin y Davila had issued a proclamation to the Philip- 
pinos, in which the following passage held a prominent place : 

" The North American people, constituted of all the social excrescences, 
have exhausted our patience and provoked war with their perfidious machina- 
tions, with their acts of treachery and with their outrages against the laws of 
nations and international treaties. 

" A squadron, manned by foreigners, possessing neither instruction no/ 



STORY OF MANILA. " 115 

discipline, is preparing to come to this archipelago with the ruffinnly intention 
of robbing us of all that means life, honor and liberty. 

"The struggle will be short and decisive. The God of victories will give 
us one as complete as the righteousness and justice of our cause demands." 

Verily, one portion of General Augustin's prophecy had proved remark- 
ably accurate. The struggle had been indeed " short and decisive ; " one 
single battle had sufficed to wrench from Spain the unholy dominion she had 
held continuously over those islands (save for the British occupation of 
Manila for a few months last century) ever since the name of Philip II. was 
bestowed upon them three hundred years ago. 

" You may fire when ready, Gridley," will pass into history as the quiet 
order from Commodore Dewey to the captain of the flagship, which heralded 
one of the greatest naval battles the world has ever seen. 

Admiral Dewey's orders were to capture or destroy the Spanish fleet, and 
never were instructions executed in so complete a fishion. At the end of 
seven hours there was absolutely nothing left of the Spanish fleet but a few 
relics. 

The American commander had most skillfully arranged every detail of 
the action, and even the apparently most insignificent features were Ciirried out 
with perfect punctuality and in railroad time-table order. 

At the end of the action Admiral Dewey anchored his fleet in the bay, 
before Manila, and sent a message to the Governor-General, General Augusti, 
announcing the inauguration of the blockade, and adding that if a shot was 
fired against his ships he would destroy every battery about Manila. 

Spanish Advantage Unavailing. 

The position occupied by the Spaniards, the support which their ships 
received from the land batteries, and the big guns they had ashore, gave them 
an enormous advantage. Therefore, when it is considered that the Spaniards 
lost over six hundred men in killed and wounded, that all their ships were 
destroyed and that their naval arsenal at Cavite was also destroyed, with its 
defences, it is apparent that the victory of the Americans is one of the most 
complete and wonderful achievements ever yet recorded in the history of 
naval warfare. 

Not a man on board the American fleet was killed, not a ship was 
damaged to any extent, and only six men were injured slightly on board the 
Baltimore. 

This grand achievement is quite as much due to the generalship of 
Admiral Dewey as to the fact that the American gunners, shins md guns are 
superior to anything in the same line afloat anywhere. Credit mu;>l also be 



116 STORY OF MANILA. 

given to the fullest extent to the officers under Admiral Dewey, for, to a man, 
they seconded their gallant commander in every way possible and thus helped 
him earn the laurels which are so justly his. 

When the squadron left Hong Kong it touched at a point in the Philippine 
Islands near Bolinao, as Admiral Dewey wished the insurgent agents to dis- 
embark there, ascertain the strength and disposition of the insurgent forces, 
arrange to prevent needless bloodshed and inform the insurgents of his inten- 
tion to change the government of the Philippine Islands, the Admiral strongly 
objecting to giving the rebels a chance to commit excesses. 

Hunting the Spanish Fleet. 

The insurgent leaders, however, refused to disembark under any consid- 
eration, and the American ships coasted in search of the Spanish ships, but 
failed to find them. Admiral Dewey arrived at Subig Bay, about thirty miles 
north of Manila Bay, on Saturday, April 30th, and sent the Baltimore and 
Concord to reconnoitre the enemy. They found no Spanish ships at the 
entrance of the bay, and so the Admiral decided to risk the mines and pro- 
ceed that same night after it became dark into the bay of Manila, which he 
accordingly did. 

The order of battle taken up by the Spaniards was with all the small craft 
inside the stone and timber breakwaters of Cavite harbor. The larger ships of 
Spain cruised off Cavite and Manila. The American fleet entered Manila 
Bay on Saturday night with the greatest of ease. The Spaniards had not 
established a patrol and there were no searchlights at the entrance of the bay. 
In fact, the American ships would probably have passed inside the bay with- 
out any challenge, had it not been that some sparks flew up from the McCul- 
loch's funnel. Thereupon a few shots were exchanged with the batteries on 
Corregidor Island, but the fleet did not slow down and soon took up a posi- 
tion near Cavite, awaiting dawn in order to commence hostilities. 

The early hours of the morning revealed the opposing ships to each other 
and the Spanish flagship opened fire. Her action was followed by some of 
the larger Spanish warships, and then the Cavite forts opened up and the 
smaller Spanish vessels brought their guns into play. 

The American squadron which had been led into the bay and through 
the channel by the flagship Olympia did not reply, though the shells of the 
Spaniards began to strike the water around them, but moved majestically 
onward. When nearing Baker Bay a sudden upheaval of water a short dis- 
tance ahead of the Olympia showed that the Spaniards had exploded a mine 
or a torpedo. This was followed by a second and similar explosion. They 
were both utterly unsuccessful. The American fleet was then drawing nearer 



STORY OF MANILA. 117 

and nearer to the Spaniards, who.-,e jjunncry was very poor, the shots from the 
Cavite batteries and from the Spanish ships being equally badly aimed, either 
falling short or going wide of the mark. It was a tremendous waste of 
ammunition just when most wanted. 

The Order of Battle. 

When the American fleet entered the bay, coming through the southern 
channel between Caballo and Frile Islets, the following was their order: the 
flagship Olympia, the Baltimore, the Raleigh, Concord, Boston, Petrel and 
McCuUoch, with the two store ships, the Nanshan and Zafiro, bringing up 
the rear. And in that order they swept grandly before the city und faced the 
enemy in column line. Though the Spaniards had opened fire at 6000 yards, 
the Americans reserved their fire until within 4000 } ards of the er.cmy, when 
the real battle began. The Reina Christina, Castilla, Don Antonio de Ulloa, 
Isia de Cuba, Isla de Luzon and the Mindanao were in line of battle outside 
of Cavite at that time, with four gunboats and the torpedo boats inside the 
harbor. The American ships then passed backward and forward six times 
across the front of the Spaniards, pouring in upon the latter a perfect hail of 
shot and shell. Every American shot seemed to tell, while almost every 
Spanish shot missed the mark. 

After having thus scattered death and demoralization among the Spanish 
fleet and in the Spanish batteries, the American fleet retired fur breakfast 
and, incidentally, a council of war was held on board the Olympia. By this 
time the Spanish ships were in a desperate condition. The flagship Reina 
Christina was riddled with shot and shell, one of her steam pipes had burst 
and she was believed to be on fire. The Castilla was certainly on fire, and. 
soon afterward, their condition became worse and worse, until they were 
eventually burned to the water's edge. 

The Don Antonio de Ulloa made a most magnificent show of desperate 
bravery. When her commander found she was so torn by tlie American 
shells that he could not keep her afloat, he nailed her colors to the mast and 
she sank with all hands fighting to the last. Her hull was completely riddled 
and her upper deck had been swept clean by the awful fire of the American 
guns, but the Spaniards, though their vessel wa.\ sinking beneath them, con- 
tinued valorously working the guns on her lower deck until she sank beneath 
the waters. 

During the engagement a Spanish torpedo boat crept along the shore 
and round the offing in an attempt to attack the American store ships, but 
she was promptly discovered, was driven ashore and was actually shot to 
pieces. The Mindanao had in the meanwhile been run ashore to save her 



118 STORY OF MANILA. 

from sinking and the Spanish small craft had sought shelter from the steel 
storm behind the breakwater. 

The battle, which was started at about 5.30 a. m., and adjourned at 8.30 
A. M,, was resumed about noon, when Admiral Dewey started in to put the 
finishing touches to his glorious work. There was not much fight left in the 
Spaniards by that time, and at 2 P. m. the Petrel and Concord had shot the 
Cavite batteries into silence, leaving them heaps of ruins and floating the 
white flag. 

The Spanish gunboats were then scuttled, the arsenal was on fire and 
the explosion of a Spanish magazine caused further mortality among the 
defenders of Spain on the shore. On the water the burning, sunken or 
destroyed Spanish vessels could be seen, while only the cruiser Baltimore had 
suffered in any way from the fire of the enemy. A shot which struck her 
exploded some ammunition near one of her guns and slightly injured half a 
dozen of the crew. 

Spaniards Shot at Dewey. 

Several shots passed dangerously close to Admiral Dewey, but little or 
no damage was done on board the flagship. On the other hand, about 150 
men are said to have been killed on board the Spanish flagship, which was 
totally destroyed. Admiral Montojo, the Spanish commander, transferred his 
flag to the Isla de Cuba when his ship caught fire, but the latter was destroyed 
also in due course of time. The Reina Christina lost her captain, a lieu- 
tenant, her chaplain and a midshipman by one destructive shot which struck 
her bridge. 

About 100 men were killed and sixty wounded on board the Castilla. 
Indeed, some estimates place the number of Spanish wounded during the 
engagement at over a thousand men. The Olympia was .struck five times 
about her upper works, and a whaleboat of the Raleigh was smashed. 
Although the Krupp guns on the esplanade of Manila were fired continuously 
during the engagement, Admiral Dewey did not reply to them, and the bat- 
tery afterward hoisted a white flag in token of surrender. 

Says an eye-witness : " Throughout the great battle of Sunday, the fleet 
acted splendidly. No ship failed to cover itself with glory. The greatest 
execution was done by the Olympia and Baltimore, owing to the greatest 
weight of the guns. 

" The little Petrel, ' no bigger than a minute,' had a most spectacular 
part. She went in like a battleship, and, lying close to the shore, completely 
whipped a good-sized fort unaided. Every officer ought to have promotion 
for gallantry, and Woods, commander of the Petrel, should receive the thanks 
of Congress, 



STORY OF MANILA. 110 

" The Spaniards' information regarding our fleet was grievously faulty. 
They believed the Boston was a battleship, and concentrated their fire on 
her. She lies so low in the water that they could not hit her effectively. 
They believed the Olympia was the Oregon, which had come directly across 
to join the fleet, and the first report from Manila after our fleet was sighted 
was that the Philadelphia comprised part of the fleet. Notwithstanding their 
lack of knowledge, they fought like the brave men they were, only they could 
not shoot straight. 

'' Admiral Dewey fought the fleet from the top of the pilot house. 
During the action ninety signals were given and all were answered by the 
other ships. The forward rigging was cut four feet above Dewey's head by 
a six- pound shot. The signal halyards were shot away while Lieutenant 
Brumby was signalling. 

" On the Boston seven men were on the bridge with Captain Frank 
Wildes. A shell crossed the bridge two feet above their heads and burst 
beyond the rigging, driving the base plug back on board. Wildes stood at 
his post, his glasses in one hand and a palmleaf fan in the other, and smoked. 
Between the shots Paymaster Martin made and served out coffee. Ensign 
Doddridge's room was on fire by the bursting of a shell. 

" The Olympia shows nine shots, none of which pierced her hull. The 
little Petrel is now the pride of the fleet. Her light draught enabled her to 
get close to the forts, where Woods fearlessly ran in. She has been christened 
'The Baby.' The cruiser Baltimore led the fleet to the forts. In the second 
engagement she was ordered to go at top speed and silence the batteries. 
She went directly over the mines. Two exploded on each side, the nearest 
within lOO yards. No damage was done. While Wildes was absent at con- 
ference Woods heard of his close call, and on his return the whole ship 
cheered Captain Frank to the echo." 

Admiral Dewey's Own Account. 

Among the first mail advices from Manila the War Department at 
Washington received the following letter from Admiral Dewey : 

"Flagship Olv.mpia, Cavite, May 4, 1898. 

" The squadron left Mirs Bay on April 27. Arrived off Bolinao on the 
morning of April 30, and, finding no vessels there, proceeded down the coast 
and arrived off the entrance to Manila Bay on the same afternoon. The Bos- 
ton and Concord were sent to reconnoitre Port Subig. A thorough search of 
the port was made by the Boston and the Concord, but the Spanish fleet was 
not found. 



120 STORY OF MANILA. 

" Entered the south channel at half past eleven p. m., steaming in column 
at eight knots. After half the squadron had passed a battery on the south 
side of the channel opened fire, none of the shots taking effect. The Boston 
and McCuUoch returned the fire. The squadron proceeded across the bay 
at slow speed and arrived off Manila at daybreak, and was fired upon at a 
quarter past five a. m. by three batteries at Manila and two near Cavite, and 
iby the Spanish fleet anchored in an approximately east and west line across 
'the mouth of Baker Bay, with their left in shoal water in Canacao Bay 

Beginning the Attack. 

" The squadron then proceeded to the attack, the flagship Olympia 
under my personal direction, leading, followed at a distance by the Baltimore, 
Raleigh, Petrel, Concord and Boston, in the order named, which formation 
was maintained throughout the action. The squadron opened fire at nineteen 
minutes of six A. m. While advancing to the attack two mines were exploded 
ahead of the flagship too far to be effective. 

" The squadron maintained a continuous and precise fire, at ranges vary- 
ing from 5,000 to 2,000 yards, counter-marching in a line approximately 
parallel to that of the Spanish fleet. The enemy's fire was vigorous, but gen- 
erally ineffective. 

Quite early in the engagement the two launches put out towards the 
Olympia with the apparent intention of using torpedoes. One was sunk and 
the other disabled by our fire and beached before an opportunity occurred to 
fire torpodoes. 

" At seven a. m. the Spanish flagship Reina Christina made a desperate 
attempt to leave the line and come out to engage at short range, but was 
received with such galling fire, the entire battery of the Olympia being con- 
centrated upon her, that she was barely able to return to the shelter of the 
point. Fires started in her by our shells at this time were not extinguished 
until she sank. 

*' The three batteries at Manila had kept up a continuous fire from the 
beginning of the engagement, which fire was not returned by this squadron. 
The firit of these batteries was situated on the south mole head, at the 
entrance to the Pasig River ; the second on the south bastion of the walled 
city of Manila, and the third at Malate, about one-half mile further south. At 
this point I sent a message to the Governor General to the effect that if the 
batteries did not cease firing the city would be shelled. This had the effect 
of silencing them. 

" At tv/enty-five minutes to eight a. m. I ceased firing and withdrew the 
«quadron for breakfast. At sixteen minutes past eleven a. m. returned to the 



STORY OF MANILA. 121 

attack. By this time the Spanish flagship and ahnost the entire Spanish fleet 
were in flames. At half-past twelve p. m. the squadron ceased firing;, the bat- 
teries being silenced and the ships sunk, bui nt and deserted. At twenty min- 
utes to one p. M. the squadron returned and anchored ofi" Manila the Petrel 
being left behind to complete the destruction of the smaller gunboats, which 
were behind the point of Cavite, This duty was performed by Commander 
E, P. Wood in the most expeditious and complete manner possible. 

*' The Spanish lost the following vessels : Sunk — Reina Christina, Castilla, 
Don Antonio de Ulloa. Burnt— Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Luzon, Isla de 
Cuba, General Lezo, Marquis del Duero, El Correo, Velasco and Isla de 
Mindanao (transport). Captured— Rapido and Hercules (tugs), and several 
small launches. 

" I am unable to obtain complete accounts of the enemy's killed and 
wounded, but believe their losses to be very heavy. The Reina Christina 
alone had 150 killed, including the captain, and ninety wounded. I am 
happy to report that the damage done to the squadron under my command 
was inconsiderable. 






Another Account of the Battle. 

The story of the battle of Manila Bay was retold officially by United 
States Consul O. F. Williams, in a report to the Department of State, dated 
on board the United States steamship Baltimore, in Manila Baj-, ]\Lay 4. 
Because this story is told by a civilian as he saw the events of May day from 
the bridge of the Olympia and from the quarter deck of the Baltimore, >. has 
a .special and captivating interest of its own which makes it additionally force- 
ful. He begins by telling how the American ships slipped into the harbor 
and lined up for battle off Cavite. 

He adds: " At about 5.30 a. m. Sunday, May i.the Spanish guns of/ened 
fire. With magnificent coolness and order, but with the greatest promptness, 
our fleet, in battle array, headed by the flagship, answered the Spanish attack, 
and for about two and a half hours a most terrific fire ensued. 

"The method of our operations could not have shown greater system, our 
guns greater efll-ctiveness, or our officers and crews greater bravery, and while 
Spanish resistance was stubborn and the bravery of Spanish forces such as to 
challenge a demonstration, yet they were out-classed, weighed in the balance 
of war against the methods, training, aim and bravery shown on our decks, 
and after less than three hours' perilous and intense combat one of Spain's 



122 



STORY OF MANILA. 



war ships was sinking, two others were burning and all others with land 
defences had severely suffered when our squadron, with no harm done its 
ships, retired for breakfast. At about lo o'clock A. M. Admiral Dewey 
renewed the battle, 
and with effect 
most fatal with 
^ach evolution. 

" No better evi- 
dence of Spanish 
bravery need be 
sought than that, 
after the castiga- 
tion of our first 
engagement, her 
ships and forts 
should again an- 
swer our fire. But 
the Spanish efforts 
were futile, ship 
after ship and bat- 
tery after battery 
went to destruc- 
tion before the on- 
slaught of Ameri- 
can energy and 
training, and an 
hour and a half of 
our second engage- 
ment wrought the 
annihilation of the 
Spanish fleet and 
forts, with several 
hundred Spaniards 
killedand wounded 
and millions in 

value of their Government's property destroyed. While amazing, almost 
unbelievable as it seems, not a ship or gun of our fleet had been disabled, 
and, except on the Baltimore, not a man had been hurt. 

" One of the Baltimore's crew had a leg fractured by slipping, and 
another hurt in the ankle in a similar manner, while four received slight 




MAP OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



STORY OF MANILA. 

flesh wounds from splinters tlirown frona a 6-inch projectile, which pierced 
the starboard side of the cruiser. But in the battle of Manila Ba)- the United 
States squadron of six war ships totally destroyed the Spanish fleet of eight 
war ships, many forts and batteries, and accomplished this work without the 
loss of a man. 

" History has only contrasts. There is no couplet to form a comparison. 
The only finish fight between the modern war ships of civilized nations has 
proven the prowess of American naval men and methods, and the glory is 
allegory for the whole people. Our crews are all hoarse from cheering, and 
while we suffer for cough drops and throat doctors we have no use for lini- 
ment or surgeons. 

Praise for Officers and Men. 

" To every ship, officer and crew all praise be given. As Victoria was 
answered years ago, ' Your Majesty, there is no second,' so may I report to 
your Department as to our war ships conquering the Spanish fleet in the bat- 
tle of Manila Bay, there is no first, ' there is no second.' The cool bravery 
and efficiency of the commodore was echoed by every captain and com- 
mander and down through the lines by every officer and man, and naval 
history of the dawning century will be rich if it furnishes to the world so 
glorious a di.splay of intelligent command and successful service as must be 
placed to the credit of the United States Asiatic Squadron under date of May 
I, 1S98. 

" It was my lot to stand on the bridge of the Baltimore, by the side of 
Captain Dyer, during the first engagement, and to be called to the flag ship 
Olympia by the commodore, at whose side on the bridge I stood during the 
second engagement." 

Special interest attaches to the account of the great naval battle at Man- 
ila by the Spanish commander. In his official report Admiral Montojo 
speaking of the recent naval engagement in Manila Bay, refers to it in the 
following language : 

" The Americans fired most rapidly. There came upon us numberless 
projectiles, as the three cruisers at the head of the line devoted themselves 
almost entirely to fight the Christina, my flag-<;hip. A short time after the 
action commenced one shell exploded in the forecastle and put out of action 
all of those who served the four rapid fire cannon, making splinters of the 
forward mast, which wounded the helmsman on the bridge, when Lieutenant 
Jose Nunez took the wheel with a coolness worthy of the greatest conmien- 
dation, steering until the end of the fight. 

" In the meanwhile another shell exploded in the orlap, setting fire to the 
crew's bags, which they were, fortunately, able to control. The enemy short- 



124 



STORY OF MANILA. 



ened the distance between us, and, rectifying his aim, covered us with a rain 
of rapid-fire projectiles. 

" At half-past seven one shell destroyed completely the steering gear. 
I ordered to steer by hand while the rudder was out of action. In the mean- 
while another shell exploded on the poop and put out of action nine men. 




1 






> V 



ADMIRAL MONTOJO, COMMANDER OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 
Another destroyed the mizzenmast head, bringing down the flag and my 
ensign, which were replaced immediately. 

" A fresh shell exploded in the officer's cabin, covering the hospital with 
blood, destroying the wounded who were being treated there. Another ex- 
ploded in the ammunition room astern, filling the quarters with smoke and 
preventing the working of the hand-steering gear. As it was impossible to 
control the fire, I had to flood the magazine when the cartridges were begin- 
ning to explode. 



STORY OF MANIT.A. 12*j 

" Amidships several shells of smaller calibre went through the smokestack, 
and one of the large ones penetrated the fire room, putting out of action one 
master gunner and twelve men serving the guns. Another rendered useless 
the starboard bow gun. Wiulc the fire astern increased^ fire was started 
forward by another shell, which went through the hull and exploded on 
the deck. 

" The broadside guns, being undamaged, continued firing until there 
were only one gunner and one seaman remaining unhurt for firing them, as 
the guns' crews had been frequently called on to substitute those charged 
with steering, all of whom were out of action. 

"The .ship being out of control, the hull, smokepipe and masts riddled 

with shot, half of her crew out of action, among whom were seven ofificers, I 

gave the order to sink and abandon the ship before the magazines should 

explode, making signal at the .same time to the Cuba and Luzon to assist in 

saving the rest of the crew, which they did, aided by others from the Duro 

and the arsenal. 

Ships Battered and Sunk. 

*' I abandoned the Christina, directing beforehand to secure her flag, and, 
accompanied by my staff, and with great sorrow, I hoisted my flag on the 
cruiser Isla de Cuba. After having saved many men from the unfortunate 
vessel, one shell destroyed her heroic commander, Don Luis Cadaraso, who 
was directing the rescue. The Ulloa, which also defended herself firmly, usinr;- 
the only two guns which were available,was sunk by a shell, which entered at 
the water line, putting out of action her commander and half of her remaining 
crew, those who were only remaining for the service of the two guns stated. 

" The Castilla, which fought heroically, with her artillery useless, except 
one stern gun, with which they fought spiritedly, was riddled with shot and 
set on fire by the enemy's shells, then sunk, and was abandoned by her crew, 
in good order, which was directed by her commander, Don Alonzo Algaro. 
The casualties on this ship were twenty-three killed and eighty wounded. 

" The Austria, was very much damaged and on fire, and went to the aid 
of the Castilla. The Luzon had three guns dismounted and was slightly 
damaged in the hull. The Duro remained, with one of her engines useless, 
the bow gun and one of the redoubts. 

"At eight o'clock in the morning, the enemy's squadron having suspended 
its fire, I ordered the ships that remained to us to take situations in the bottom 
of the roads, at Bacoor, and there to resi.st to the last moment, and that they 
should be sunk before they surrendered. 

"At half past ten the enemy returned, forming a circle to destroy the 
arsenal, and the ships which remained to me, opening upon them a horrible 




12G 



STORY OF MANILA. 127 

fire, which we answered as far as we could with the few cannon which we still 
had mounted. 

" There remained the last recourse — to smk our vessels — and we accom- 
plished this operation, taking care to save the flag, the distinguishing pennant, 
the money in the safe, the portable arms, the breech plugs of the guns, and 
the signal codes, after which I went, with my staff, to the convent of Santo 
Domingo de Cavite to be cured of a wound received in the left leg, and to 
telegraph a brief report of the action, with preliminaries and results. 

" The inefficiency of the vessels which composed my little squadron, the 
lack of all classes of the personel, especially master gunners and seaman gun- 
ners, the inaptitude of some of the provisional machinists, the scarcity of 
rapid-fire cannon, the strong crews of the enemy, and the unprotected char- 
acter of the greater part of our vessels, all contributed to make more decided 
the sacrifice which we made for our country." 

Story of a Jolly Sailor. 

In Admiral Dewey's fleet there was a sailor man named William Savage, 
familiarly known to his fellows, no doubt, as Bill. The said Bill, who was a 
member of the Raleigh's crew, was so delighted with the victory of the fleet 
over the Dons that he proceeded to get gloriously full. He was found by his 
superior officers in a condition where about the only thing that coulci be got 
out of him was " Hurrah and hurroo," and a summary court-martial was 
summoned to try him. 

The court-martial found that Bill's conduct was in serious violation of 
the discipline of the fleet, and sentence was passed that Bill should be con- 
fined for fifteen days in chains, with an allowance of but one ration a day. 
Before the sentence was put into execution the findings of the court were 
submitted to Commodore Dewey. This is what Commodore Dewey wrote 
on them, as shown by the record which arrived in Washington later. 

" The proceedings of the court are approved ; the sentence is disapproved, 
and the accused, William Savage, is ordered to return to his post in consider- 
ation of the glorious victory won by the fleet under my command. 

" Commodore Df.wev, 
" Commayiding the American Asiatic Fleets 

There are no particulars given in the proceedings as to where Sailor 
Savage got the whiskey with which he had his glorious celebration. Probably 
he brought some of his guns to bear upon one of the bars of Cavite. Be that 
as it may, the opinion of the officials at the Nav>' Department was one of 
approval of Admiral Dewey's course in overlooking Sailor Savage's breach of 



123 STORY OF MANILA. 

discipline, under the circumstances. The incident has convinced the officials 
at the Navy Department that, while Admiral Dewey has been most modest 
in all his reports bearing upon the achievement of his fleet, he is concealing 
& vast amount of jubilation. 

The following graphic account of the battle, under date of May 1st, is 
by an eye-witness who was on board Admiral Dewey's flagship, and furnishes 
details of the engagement supplementary to those given in the foregoing 
pages : 

" Not one Spanish flag flies in Manila Bay to-day. Not one Spanish 
warship floats except as our prize. More than two hundred Spanish dead 
and five hundred to seven hundred wounded attest the accuracy of the 
American fire. 

"Commodore Dewey gallantly attacked the Spanish position at Cavite 
this morning. He swept five times along the line, and scored one of the 
most brilliant successes in modern warfare. That our loss is trifling adds to 
the pleasure of victory without detracting from its value. The number of hits 
our vessels received proved how brave and stubborn was the defence made 
by the Spanish forces. Miraculous as it may appear, none of our men were 
killed, and only eight wounded. Those who were wounded suffered only 
slight injuries- 

" Commodore Dewey arrived off Manila Bay last night, and decided to 
enter the bay at once. With all its lights out, the squadron steamed into 
Bocagrande, with crews at the guns. This was the order of the squadron, 
which was kept during the whole time of the first battle : the flagship 
Olympia, the Baltimore, the Raleigh, the Petrel, the Concord, the Boston. 

Rapid Exchange of Shot and Shell. 

" It was just eight o'clock, a bright moonlight night, but the flagship 
passed Corregidor Island without a sign being given that the Spaniards were 
aware of its approach. Not until the flagship was a mile beyond Corregidor 
was a gun fired. Then one heavy shot went screaming over the Raleigh and 
the Olympia, followed by a second, which fell further astern. The Raleigh, 
;^e Concord and the Boston replied, the Concord's shells exploding apparently 
exactly inside the shore battery, which fired no more. Our squadron slowed 
down to barely steerage way, and the men were allowed to sleep alongside 
their guns. 

" Commodore Dewey had timed our arrival so that we were within five 
miles of the city of Manila at daybreak. We then sighted the Spanish 
squadron, Rear-Admiral Montojo commanding, off Cavite. Here the Span- 
iards had a well-equipped navy yard, called Cavite Arsenal. Admiral Montojo's 




TESTIMONIAL TO THE HERO OF MANILA 

IE BRONZE SYMBOLIZES THE TWO NATIONS, ONE AS VICTOR AND THE OTHER 

AS VANQUISHED 

^ MADE BY TIFFASY A CO., NEW YORK 




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GENERAL MILLER 
THE HERO OF ILOILO 




HON. CHARLES DEWEV 

BROTHER OF ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY 




(vino. MARY P. GftEbLtY 
SISTER OF APMIFfAL GEORGE DEWgY 




CAPTAIN EDWARD DEWEY 

BROTHER OF ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY 




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STORY OF MANILA. 

flag was flying on the 3,500 ton protected cruiser Rcina Christina. The pro- 
tected cruiser Castilla, of 3,200 tons, was moored ahead and astern to the port 
battery, and to seaward were the cruisers Don Juan de Austria, Don Antonio 
de Ulloa, Isla de Cuba, Isla do Luzon, Quiros, Marquis del Onero, and 
General Lezox. These ships and the flagship remained under way during 
most of the action. 

" With the United States flag flying at all their mastheads, our ships 
moved to the attack in line ahead, with a speed of eight knots, first passing 
in front of Manila, where the action was begun by three batteries mounting 
guns powerful enough to send a shell over us at a distance of five miles. The 
Concord's guns boomed out a reply to these batteries with two shots. No 
more were fired, because Admiral Dewey could not engage with these bat- 
teries without sending death and destruction into the crowded city. As we 
neared Cavite two very powerful submarine mines were exploded ahead of 
the flagship. This was at six minutes past five o'clock. The Spaniards had 
misjudged our position. Immense volumes of water were thrown high in air 
by these destroyers, but no harm was done to our ships. 

Dashing Ahead in Spite of Torpedoes. 

"Admiral Dewey had fought with Farragut at New Orleans and Mobile 
Bay, where he had his first experience with torpedoes. Not knowing how 
many more mines there might be ahead, he still kept on without filtering. 
No other mines exploded, however, and it is believed that the Spaniards had 
only these two in place. 

" Only a few minutes later thv- shore battery at Cavite Point sent over the 
flagship a shot that nearly hit the battery at Manila, but soon the guns got a 
better range, and the shells began to strike near us or burst close aboard from 
both the batteries and the Spanish vessels. The heat was intense. Men 
stripped off all clothing except their trousers. 

" As the Olympia drew nearer, all v/as silent on board as if the ship had 
been empty, except for the whirr of blowers and the throb of the engines. 
Suddenly a shell burst directly over us. From the boatswain's mate at the 
after 5-inch gun came a hoarse cry. ' Remember the Maine ! ' arose from the 
throats of five hundred men at the guns. The watchword reverberated 
through turrets and firerooms, and was caught up wherever seaman or fire- 
man stood at his post. 

" * Remember the Maine ! " had rung out for defiance and revenge. Its 

utterance seemed unpremeditated, but was evidently in every man's mind, 

and, now that the moment had come to make adequate reply to the murder 

of the Maine's crew, every man shouted what was in his heart. 
9— D 



130 STORY OF MANILA. 

"The Olympia was now ready to begin the fight. Admiral Dewey, hii 
chief of staff, Commander Lamberton, and aide and myself, with Executive 
Officer Lieutenant Rees and Navigator Lieutenant Calkins, who conned ship 
most admirably, were on the forward bridge. Captain Gridley was in the 
conning tower, as it was thought unsafe to risk losing all the senior officers 
by one shell. ' You may fire when ready, Gridley,' said the Admiral, and at 
nineteen minutes of six o'clock, at a distance of 5 ,500 yards, the starboard 
8-inch gun in the forward turret roared forth a compliment to the Spanish 
forts. Presently similar guns from the Baltimore and the Boston sent 250- 
pound shells hurling toward the Castilla and the Rcina Christina for accuracy. 
The Spaniards seemed encouraged to fire faster, knowing exactly our dis- 
tance, while we had to guess theirs. Their ship and shore guns were making 
things hot for us. 

Showers of Fragments. 

" The piercing scream of shot was varied often by the bursting of time 
fuse shells, fragments of which would lash the water like shrapnel or cut our 
hull and rigging. One large shell that was coming straight at the Olympia's 
forward bridge fortunately fell within less than one hundred feet away. One 
fragment cut the rigging exactly over the heads of Lamberton, Rees and 
myself. Another struck the bridge gratings in line with it. A third passed 
just under Dewey and gouged a hole in the deck. Incidents like these were 
plentiful. 

" Our men naturally chafed at being exposed without returning fire from 
all our guns, but laughed at danger and chatted good humoredly. A few 
nervous fellows could not help dodging mechanically when shells would burst 
right over them or close aboard, or would strike the water and passed over- 
head, with the peculiar spluttering roar made by a tumbling rifled projectile. 
Still the flagship promptly steered for the very centre of the Spanish line, and, 
as our other ships were astern, the Olympia received most of the Spaniards' 
attention. 

" Owing to our deep draught Dewey felt constrained to change his course 
at a distance of four thousands yards and run parallel to the Spanish column. 
' Open with all guns,' he said, and the ship brought her port broadside bear- 
ing. The roar of all the flagship's 5-inch rapid firers was followed by a deep 
diapason of her after turret 8-inchers. Soon our other vessels were equally 
hard at work, and we could see that our shells were making Cavite harbor hotter 
for the Spaniards than they li'ad made the approach for us. 

" Protected by their shore batteries and made safe from close attack by 
shallow water, the Spaniards were in a strong position. They put up a 



STORY OF MANILA. 1-1 

gallant fight. The Spanish ships were sailing back and forth behind the 
Castilla, and their fire, too, was hot. One shot struck the Baltimore and 
passed clean through her, fortunately hitting no one. Another ripped up her 
main deck, disabled a 6-inch gun and exploded a box of 3-pounder ammuni- 
tion, wounding eight men. 

"The Olympia was struck abreast the gun in the wardroom by a shell 
which burst outside, doing little damage. The signal halyards were cut from 
Lieutenant Brumby's hand on the after bridge. A shell entered the Boston's 
port quarter and burst in Ensign Doddridge's stateroom, starting a hot fire, 
and fire was also caused by a shell which burst in the port hammock netting. 
Both these fires were quickly put out. Another shell passed through the 
Boston's foremast just in front of Captain Wildes, who at the time was stand- 
ing on the bridge. 

" After having made four runs along the Spanish line, finding the chart 
incorrect, Lieutenant Calkins, the Olympia's navigator, told the Commodore 
he believed he could take the ship nearer the enemy, with lead going to watch 
the depth of water. The flagship started over the course for the fifth time, 
running within two thousand yards of the Spanish vessels. At this range even 
6-pounders were effective, and the storm of shells poured upon the unfortu- 
nate Spanish began to show marked results. Three of the enemy's vessels 
were seen burning and their fire slackened. 

Stopping the Battle for Breakfast. 

"On finishing this run Admiral Dewey decided to give the men break- 
fast, as they had been at the guns two hours with only one cup of coffee to 
sustain them. Action ceased temporarily at twenty-five minutes of eirrht 
o'clock, the other ships passing the flagship and the men cheering lustily. 
Our ships remained beyond range of the enemy's guns until ten minutes of 
eleven o'clock, when the signal for close action went up. The Baltimore had 
the place of honor in the lead, with the flagship following and the other ships 
as before, 

" The Baltimore began firing at the Spanish ships and batteries at sixteen 
minutes past eleven o'clock, making a .series of hits as if at target practice. 
The Spaniards replied very slowly, and the Admiral signalled the Raleigh, 
the Boston, the Concord and the Petrel to go into the inner harbor and de- 
stroy all the enemy's ships By her light drar.ght the little Petrel was en- 
abled to move within one thousand yards. Here, firing swiftly but accurately, 
she commanded ever>^thing still flying the Spanish fla^. Other ships were 
also doing their whole duty, and soon not one red and yellow ensign remained 
aloft, except on a battery up the coast. 



132 STORY OF MANILA. 

"The Spanish flagship and the Castilla had long been burning fiercely, 
and the last vessel to be abandoned was the Don Antonio de Ulloa, which 
lurched over and sank. 

" Then the Spanish flag on the Arsenal staff was hauled down, and at 
half-past twelve o'clock a white flag was hoisted there. Signal was made to 
the Petrel to destroy all the vessels in the inner harbor, and Lieutenant 
Hughes, with an armed boat's crew, set fire to the Don Juan de Austria, the 
Marquis del Duero, the Isla de Cuba and the Correo. The large transport 
Manila and many tugboats and small craft fell into our hands. 

" ' Capture and destroy Spanish squadron,' were Dewey's orders. Never 
were instructions more effectually carried out. "Within seven hours after 
arriving on the scene of action nothing remained to be done. The Admiral 
closed the day by anchoring off the city of Manila and sending word to the 
Governor General that if a shot was fired from the city at the fleet he would 
lay Manila in ashes." 

The foregoing account by an eye-witness conveys a clear idea of Dewey's 
tactics, courage and overwhelming triumph. It describes a naval engage- 
ment and victory that will live in the annals of our country. 

DEWEY'S DISCRETION. 

" Go, and use your best discretion," Cast adrift by ultra neutrals. 

So, to Dewey went the word, Coal and rations running short, 

Far from home and friendly station ; He must find another haven, 

Sole reliance now his sword. Take and hold a hostile port- 

Stealing through ill-guarded channels, 

Ere the sun has shown his face, 
In Manila's land-locked harbor. 
He beheld the fateful place. 

Never mind their damp torpedoes ; 

Spanish gunners never see. 
Pass the word along the squadron : 

" Steam ahead ! and follow me ! " 

Ships of Spain, and forts and cannon 

Roared objections, loud and long. 
But the "dogs of war"— and Dewey — 

Plucked the battle from the strong. 

" 'Twas not reckless love of danger 

Spurred him onward to his goal, 
'Twas a Yankee man's discretion 

Whisoered in his ear : ' Go and coal ! ' ' ' — Edmund Marsh. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

Superb Valor of the American Fleet at Manila 

^ MONG the passengers who arrived at San Francisco on the Beigic 
from Hong Kong were four men who participated in the fight of 
Manila, on May i. They were paymaster G. A. Loud, of the dis- 
patch boat McCulloch; Dr. Charles P. Kindleberger, surgeon of 
the Olympia ; Ralph Phelps, secretary to the captain of the McCulloch, and 
J. C. Evans, gunner of the Boston. 

They all spoke of the valor and determination of their opponents in the 
battle of Manila. They said that the Spaniards fought bravely, even after the 
last vestige of hope had gone, and stayed by their guns as long as they could 
be used. Dr. Kindleberger gave a graphic account of the terrific fight. He 
was on the Olympia through it all. In the first assault the flagship took the 
lead, the other vessels following in her wake at four ships' lengths. At one 
time the smoke became so dense that it was necessary to draw aside, allowing 
the cloud to lift. The vessels were examined, and it was found they had sus- 
tained no damage. 

Breakfast was then served to the men, and in a few mitiutes they re- 
entered the fight with the greatest enthusiasm. The second fight was even 
more fierce than the first. It was in that that the Baltimore was struck. 

During the first fight the Spanish admiral's ship put bravely out of the 
line to meet the Olympia. The entire American fleet concentrated fire on 
her, and she was so badly injured that she turned around to put back. At 
this juncture the Olympia let fly an 8-inch shell, which struck her stern and 
pierced through almost her entire length, exploding finally in thr engine 
room, wF.icking her machinery. This shell killed the captain and sixty men 
and set the vessel on fire. 

In the heat of the fight the two torpedo boats moved out to attack tiie 
fleet. They were allowed to come within 800 yards, when a fusilade from the 
Olympia sent one to the bottom with all on board and riddled the other. 
The second boat was later found turned upon the beach covered with blood. 
In the second fight the Baltimore was sent to silence the fort at Cavite. She 
plunged into a cloud of smoke and opened all her batteries on the fortifica- 
tions. In a very few minutes a shell struck the ammunition and the fort ble* 
up with a deafening roar. 

133 



134 DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 

The work on the Baltimore was glorious. After the principal ships of 
^he enemy had been destroyed, the Concord, Raleigh and Petrel, being of 
light draught, were sent in to handle the remaining vessels of the fleet. They 
made quick work of them. In taking possession of the land forts several 
hundred wounded Spaniards fell into the hands of the Americans and nearly 
200 dead were accounted for on the spot. Holes in which numbers had been 
hastily buried were found. The dead were returned to relatives so far as this 
could be done, and the wounded were cared for in the best manner by the 
American surgeons. 

After the first battle the Americans were greatly fagged out by heat, and 
the rest and breakfast allowed them by the Commodore was of inestimable 
benefit. When the men were at breakfast, a conference of all officers was held 
on board the Olympia, when the plan of the second battle was made known 
by the Commodore. 

Several shots struck the Olympia and she was pierced a number of times. 
One shell struck the side of the ship against the hospital ward. The chaplain 
and nurses who were watching the fight through a port hole a few inches 
away were stunned by the concussion. 

Experts have figured out the fighting volume of the guns of the respect- 
ive sides of the battle was three for the Americans against seven for Spanish, 
It is clear then, that the superiority was in the ships and the men, the latter 
having the experience and nerve. Gunner Evans, of the Boston, directed the 
fire of one of the big guns. Not a man on the Boston received a scratch. 

Steady Thunder of Cannon. 

Paymaster Loud, who was on the McCulloch, during the battle and was 
a witness of events on both sides, furnishes an interesting account of the 
battle. From his position he could see every movement of the American 
ships and could also see the Spaniards. 

*' For two hours," said Mr. Loud, " the steady thunder of cannon was 
kept up. The roar was something terrible. At one time, I really thought 
we would be beaten. This was after the fire had been kept up an hour. It 
looked like every gun on the Spanish ships had turned loose on us all toge- 
ther and the shore line was a veritable blaze of fire from the batteries. The 
din was simply indescribable. Tons upon tons of shot fell over our ships. 
There was steel enough to have sunk our entire fleet. 

"Our salvation was in the bad marksmanship of the Spaniards. They 
handled their pieces like children. Nearly all of their shots went wide. 
Most of them were high, flying over the fleet and falling into the bay beyond 
Some of the batteries, however, were better trained. Several guns maintained 



DEWEY S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 135 

a raking fire on the fleet. Nearly all of our ships were struck by both large 
and small shot, but no damage of consequence was done. 

" We left Manila on the 5th. At that time Commodore Dewey was in 
possession of the shore forts and arsenal. Considerable ammunition and some 
fair guns were captured. 

" Manila, on the opposite side of the bay, had not been taken, and it was 
not the intention of the admiral to do so at that time. Of course the city and 
its suburbs were completely at the mercy of our guns and we could have laid 
it in ruins in a very short time. But the force on the warships is too small to 
land and take possession." 

A letter from Manila said the Spaniards were so sure of whipping the 
Americans that they had prepared a prison for them. It was the infamous 
Black Hole of Manila, where so many insurgents were smothered to death 
in 1897. 

The letter briefly adds : " Living aboard the vessels is simply awful on 
iccount of the extreme heat which we are bound to endure. In addition to 
the heat of this place everything on board ship is at fever heat, with fires kept 
constantly up in four boilers and everything closed up. You can have no 
idea what it is." 

Spaniards Sure They Could Defeat the Yankees. 

In a letter to a friend in New York an engineer of the Baltimore wrote, 
a week after the fight : " The Spaniards were absolutely confident of victor)'. 
No other outcome was anticipated by them : no preparations were made for 
a different result. I think that their ships, combined with their forts, made 
them equal to us, so far as powers of offence and defence were concerned. 
They had as many modern guns approximately the same size as we had, and 
more men to fire them. They should have been able to fire as much weight 
of shot in a soccified time as we did. 

" The whole thing, in other word^, lay in the fact that it was the Ameri- 
can against the Spaniard, the Anglo-Saxon against the Latin. Every shot 
fired from our fleet was most deliberately, coolly and pitilessly aimed. The 
Spaniards fired an enormous number of times, but with apparently the most 
impracticable aim. Shells dropped all around our ships; we were in action 
for over four hours ; hundreds of shot and shell fell close to us. Only five or 
six pierced us and they did no damage. 

" The damage done by our ships was frightful. I have visited all of the 
sunken Spanish ships, and, had I not seen the effects of American marksman- 
ship, I would hardly give credit to reports of it. One smokestack of the 
Castilla, a 3,300 ton Spanish ship, was struck eight times, and the shells 



133 DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 

through the hull wer? so many and so close that it is impossible that a 
Spaniard could have lived on her deck. The other large ship, the Reina 
Christina, was perforated in the same way. 

" The lesson I draw from the fight is the great utility of target practice. 
The Spaniard has none ; we have it every three months. Strength of navies 
are compared generally ship for ship; the personnel is just as important. I 
am confident that, had we manned the Spanish ships and had the Spaniards 
manned our fleet, the American side would have been as victorious as it was. 
The Spaniard certainly was brave, for he stuck to his guns till the last. 

" The hard part of this engagement was not the fighting part, that was all 
right, but it was in getting ready for it. I was thirty-two hours without 
relief or rest in the engine-rooms of the Baltimore, the temperature varying 
from 1 20 to 160 degrees. Since the fight we have eased down on work and 
are taking it easy, except for a strict watch." 

Too Late to Save the Islands. 

A most gloomy message was received by the Government at Madrid, 
on May 8th, from the Governor General of the Philippines, As the result a 
member of the Cabinet admitted that the despatch of Spanish troops could not 
save the Philippine Islands. He added: "We could send six thousand 
troops; but, if the natives are against us such a force would be inadequate. 
If they were with us, it would not be necessary to send troops to the Philipv. 
pine Islands," 

A communication from Captain General Augusti was as follows : '' Tht 
situation is very grave. Aguinaldo has succeeded in stirring up the country, 
and the telegraph lines and railways are being cut. I am without communica- 
tion with the provinces. The province of Cavite has completely rebelled, and 
the towns and villages are occupied by numerous bands. A Spanish column 
defends the Zapote line to prevent the enemy from invading the province of 
Manila, but the foe has entered through Bulacon, Lagina and Moron, so that 
Manila will thus be attacked by land and sea. 

"I am striving to raise the courage of the inhabitants, and will exhaust 
every means of resistance, but I distrust the natives and the volunteers 
because there have already been many desertions. Bacoor and Imus have 
already been seized by the enemy. The insurrection has reached great pro- 
portions, and if I cannot count upon the support of the country the forces at 
my disposal will not suffice to hold the ground against two enemies." 

An interesting letter was received at Easton, Pa., by Judge Scott 
from his son. Ensign W. Pitt Scott, of Admiral Dewey's flagship Olympia, 
describing the great victory in Manila Bay on Sunday morning, May isi- 



DEWEY S MEN TELL OF MANILA. i::? 

Ensign Scott was especially commended by Admiral Dewey in his official 
report for his efficient work during the conflict. The letter is dated on board 
the Olympia, at Cavite, Manila Bay, on May nth. The writer, telling of the 
opening of the famous fight, said : 

" The Spaniards had ten ships fighting to our six, and, in addition, had 
five or six shore batteries, some of which bothered us a good deal. \Ve 
steamed by the line and fired some deadly shot at them. Wc had anticipated 
that once across their line would be sufficient to silence them, but they did 
not yield, and so when we got to the end of the line we turned and went 
back at them again. It was getting real interesting now, for many of their 
shots were coming close aboard, and the screech of the shots as they whistled 
over our heads was anything but pleasant. 

" Now and then we would see a shot strike in the water ahead of us and 
explode and the pieces of it come at us. I will never forget it. I was sur- 
prised to find how little it disturbed us. I never believed that I would ever 
feel so entirely unconcerned while the shots were falling all around. No one 
seemed to care an iota whether the shells dropped on us or fell a long distance 
away, and in the intervals, between which we were making signals, the most 
commonplace remarks were made. 

" We passed across the enemy's line the second time, but that did not 
seem to silence then, any more than the first, and we had to try it a third 
time, with no better result, although perhaps their fire was not so heavy as at 
first. A small torpedo boat came out and attempted to get within striking 
distance of the Olympia, but our secondary battery drove her in ; a second 
time she came out and at us, but again our fire was too much for her, and 
some of our shots striking her she had barely time to get back to the beach, 
or she would have sunk. 

Flagship Bore the Brunt. 

" ■^t soon became apparent that the Spaniards were concentrating their 
fire on the Olympia (as flagship), and we then received the brunt of the fight. 
At one time the Reina Christina, the Spanish flagship, attempted to come out 
^rom her position and engage us at closer distance, but we turned our fire on 
her and drove her back. A fourth time we steamed across their line, and a 
fifth, and it began to look as if they were not going to give in until after all 
our ammunition would be exhausted, which would leave us in a very serious 
predicament, in the midst of the enemy and in one of their ports, being over 
.seven thousand miles from supplies; so after the fifth time across their line 
*ve withdrew to count up our ammunition, to see how we stood and to go*" 
oreakfast. 



1C3 DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 

" It was only 7.30, but it seemed to us all as if it were the middle of the 
day. Then we began to count our casualties, and found that no one had 
been killed and none injured, with a few slight exceptions. But it was the 
dirtiest-looking crowd that I have ever seen, and by far the oddest. It was 
so hot that many had stripped off nearly all their clothes ; in fact, in the tur- 
rets they did strip off about everything except their shoes, which they kept 
on to protect their feet from the hot floor. 

** The Commodore himself, the most dressed man in the battle, was in 
white duck ; the rest of us appeared without collars and some without shirts, 
an undershirt and a white blouse being more than sufficient for our needs, 
and, if our blouses were not off, they certainly were not buttoned. 

" We were a mighty dirty crowd. Our faces and clothes were full of 
smoke and powder and saltpetre, and the perspiration rolling around in that 
way made us picturesquely handsome. I would have given a good deal for a 
picture of the ship's company, men and officers. Then we looked around to 
see where the ship had been injured, and found that she had been struck 
several times, none of which materially hurt her. On the bridge, where we 
stood, was perhaps the hottest place of all, for at least four shots struck 
within thirty or forty feet of it. 

A Shot Cuts Through the Rigging. 

" One of the shots with an ugly screech flew over our heads, but its cry 
was a little different from most of the others, and several of us said, 'That hit 
something,' and we looked aloft to see if it had, and found ihe halliards on 
which we had a signal flying cut in two and the signal out to leeward; 
another shot cut the wire rigging ten feet over our heads, while any number 
flew close over us without striking anything. 

"About half-past ten we returned to the attack and gave the Baltimore 
the post of honor in leading the attack, as we were very short of 5 -inch 
ammunition, and the way that the Baltimore did fire into the Spanish bat- 
teries was a caution. It was not long before the enemy was completely 
silenced and the white flag run up. Two of their ships w^ere on fire and 
burning fiercely, and one was sinking. The Don Antonio de Ulloa was the 
last to give in, and after she was abandoned by her crew still kept her flag 
flying, which necessitated our firing at her until it was lowered, but as no one 
was left on board to lower it we kept firing at her until she slowly began to 
sink. It was a grand sight to see her slowly settle aft, with the flag of Spain 
with her. 

" Then we sent some of the smaller ships in to destroy those that were still 
afloat and the Petrel burned and sunk four or five of them, while the Concord 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 1C9 

fired a large transport, which we afterwards learned was quite full of coal and stufT 
for the Spaniards. Altogether our six ships, the Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, 
I^oston, Concord and Petrel, burned and sunk almost the entire Spanisii fleet 
that is in the East, as follows, viz. : Sunk, the Reina Christina (flagship), 
Castilla and Antonio de Ulloa, and burned the Don Juan do Austria, the 
Isla dc Cuba, the Isla de Luzon, the Marques del Duero, the Velasco, the Gen- 
eral Lezo, the El Correo and the transport Isla de Mindanao. 

" There is still one small vessel, the Argus, on the ways, but she is so 
badly damaged by shot that I doubt if she would float if we tried to put her 
into the water. Besides, we captured the Manila, a splendid 1,900-ton vessel, 
which they used as a transport, and on which we expect to send home our 
trophies in the way of captured guns, etc. We also captured any number of 
tugs and steam launches, some of which we burned, and others \vhich we are 
now using. Some of them are very fine tug boats. 

White Flags Flying Over the City. 

" The city is still in the hands of the Spanish, although there have been 
two or three white flags flying in the city. We have complete possession of 
the city of Cavite, which is their principal naval station, and is about four miles 
below the city, and have gone ashore and quietly helped ourselves to all 
kinds of stores that we might need, and of which we found large quantities 
in the navy yard. 

" By half-past one o'clock Sunday afternoon, eight hours after the first 
shot was fired from Cavite, we had entire possession of the place, and we again 
withdrew and anchored for a rest. I did not get a chance to get below to get 
anything to eat until nearly three o'clock, and it hardly seemed as if I was 
going down to dinner. Every one has said the same thing, and they all speak 
of the first half of the engagement (that from 5.35 to 7.35 a. m.) as the fore- 
noon fight, and the second half, which commenced about 10.30 A. M., as the 
afternoon fight. We could hardly bring ourselves to realize that it was so 
early in the day. 

" Every one seemed proud of the wounds, that is to the ships. The even- 
ing of the fight I had to go around to the different ships on an errand for the 
Commodore, and on each one all hands made it a point to take me around 
and show me where each shot hit them. The Raleigh was hit in one of her 
boats, the shot going through both sides and striking a gun on the opposite 
side, which it twirled around on its pivot like a top, but glanced off and 
injured no one. 

" The Baltimore had a shell strike her on one side, go through her, 
exploding a box of rapid-fire ammunition, then going through two sides of 



140 DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 

the engine room hatch, and striking a six-inch gun on the other side, which 
it put out of commission, then glanced off and returned to the other side of 
the deck again and carried away a piece of an iron ladder, when it fell down 
on deck, and later was picked up. The course of this shot was very eagerly 
pointed out to me by Cone and two others, who were all very proud of it. 
They told me they also got two other bad shots. 

"The Boston got a hole in her foremast, just over the captain's head, 
while a shot struck her in the wake of Doddridge's room, went into his room, 
where it exploded, set fire to it, and burned his clothes. The fire and water 
made a pretty bad wreck of his uniforms. The Concord and the Petrel, I 
believe, were neither of them hit, but as I said before the Olympia was hit 
eight times, and we were as proud as peacocks of the shots. One or two of 
them, I believe, were photographed by the newspaper correspondents, so you 
may see how slight they were, and how much fuss we made over them. We 
considered the scars very honorable. 

Batteries Captured and Guns Destroyed. 

" We do not know exactly what we are going to do now. We sent 
some of the ships down to Corregidor, where we captured the batteries, 
paroled the garrisons and destroyed the guns. We can take the city of 
Manila at any tmie we choose, for they have but two or three batteries left, 
but we have not troops enough here to hold it. We hear that troops are to 
be sent out from San Francisco, but do not know whether they are coming or 
not. The rebels have risen and have completely surrounded the town, and I 
believe the inhabitants are much more afraid of them than they are of us, for 
the rebels, if they could only once get a chance, will show no mercy to the 
Spaniards. 

" The thing that we were most afraid of was that the North Atlantic 
fleet would get in some big engagements before we had a chance, but from 
the scanty news which we get I guess we have them on the hip this time. 

" The harbor presents quite an unusual appearance with eight or nine 
ships showing just above water, the masts charred and their upper works 
(those that can be seen) nothing but a twisted mass of iron. It looks as if we 
had done something to pay the debt we owe them for the Maine I got 
ashore several days after the engagement and walked through the navy yard. 
It presents a woful sight. The barracks had any number of holes in the sides 
■ind things were strewn all over. In one room of the commandant's house 
ye saw where a large eight-inch shell had gone through the roof, and after 
carrying away the thick planking had exploded, knocking down the side of 
the room and wrecking everything in it. In another building I saw where a 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. Ill 

shell had gone tlirougli the side of the building, and had scattered the bricks 
all over the room. 

" We are very busy all day, and part of the night, too. It is extremely 
hot, and everybody is suffering from it. We cannot sleep below, but take 
our bedding on deck at night, and sleep there, but the rainy season is coming 
on and then I don't know what we will do. Even now it rains occasionally 
at night, and we have to hurry below, or else spread a rain coat over us. We 
go around without collar or shirt, and even then the heat is something fear- 
ful. To-day there were over fifty people on the sick list from the entire fleet,' 
which is a very large number, and many who are not on the sick list are 
really sick and hardly fit for duty. 

Suffering From the Heat. 

*' Both the captain of this ship and the captain of the Boston are down, 
as is also the chief of staff. I am in first-rate health, but don't believe I ever 
felt the heat half so much. It is lucky we have an ice machine aboard, but 
the sea water is so warm that we make only about enough to have ice water 
around meal times. We also get enough to keep cool what fresh provisions 
we may have left. We are living pretty much on sea stores now. It is too 
hot to take a bath with fresh water, for it will almost scald you, and even the 
salt water is very warm." 

Other features of the battle in Manila Bay were described by an eye- 
witness on one of Dewey's ships as follows : " With decks cleared for action, 
guns shotted, crews all at quarters and eagerly peering through the portholes. 
Commodore Dewey having previously made signal to follow the flagship, 
headed for the entrance of Manila Bay, between the batteries on the islands 
of Puto Cabello and El Fraile at lO p. m., on Saturday night, April 30th, 
Here were the guns that were to blow us out of the water, and the much- 
vaunted torpedo mine field that was impossible to pass over without a skilled 
pilot. At 10.20 a signal light and a gun on the beach announced that we 
had probably been seen. 

" The night was bright, moonlight and unfavorable for us, but the dark 
gray green paint, and the inky darkness on board ship, prevented any estimate 
of our character being made. 

"The Olympia and Baltimore slipped through unseen by the gunners 
on El Fraile, but a sudden roar, a flash, and an eight-inch shell whistled over 
the Raleigh, and exploded close alongside. The ball was opened, and a five- 
inch shell from her bro'te the silence of the American fleet, but the course 
or speed was not chanr^t'd. Three more shots were fired at the Concord and 
Boston, and they we^ promptly replied to, after which the fleet was out of 



142 DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 

range. Speed was then slackened, and the column headed up the bay for 
Manila, thirty miles distant. 

" The Commodore skirted the city at early dawn, but the Spanish fleet 
was not there. Soon afterward it was distinguished, drawn up in line of battle, 
off the strongly fortified arsenal of Cavite, seven miles from Manila. The 
signal ' prepare for general action and close up ' was then floated from the 
flagship Olympia, and, in unison, bugle and drum called to 'general quarters* 
and the glorious Stars and Stripes waved out from every masthead and gaff 
of the six ships of the squadron as the Olympia headed for their line of 
battle. Our formation was in column, four hundred yards apart, with a 
slackened speed of six knots. 

" The fullness of the day revealed the Spanish fleet of nine vessels, the 
Reina Christina, flagship ; the Castilla, Don Antonio d'Ulloa, Isla de Cuba, 
Isla de Luzon and four small gunboats. The Spanish mail steamer Mindanao 
was also in line, having been hastily fitted with guns. Each end of their line 
was protected by batteries of six and eight-inch guns on the peninsula of 
Cavite. The Castilla was moored head and stern, and the other ships had 
steam up in order to be able to retreat behind the mole and batteries of Cavite 
to repair accidents and take a breathing spell. Preparations were thus made 
for carrying on the conflict. 

Spaniards Poor Shots. 

" The shore batteries opened on us long before we were in range. Our 
guns were silent until at 4,500 yards, when the Olympia swung around her 
port broadside and let drive her four eight-inch turret guns. The Baltimore, 
Raleigh, Petrel, Concord and Boston, in succession, followed the flagship and 
opened fire as soon as their guns would bear on the enemy. 

" The engagement was general as the Americans swept down parallel to 
the Spanish line, but was fought at long range, owing to our ships being kept 
away from the enemy by shallow water. The modern high power guns and 
excellent gunnery of the Americans soon showed its effects, while the Span- 
iard's shots either fell far short or flew wholly over our heads without doing 
any damage. 

" The end of their line being reached, we turned, shifted our batteries 
and stood down the line until we were at from 3,000 to 2,500 yards. It is 
(hardly conceivable with what rapidity and accuracy our guns were fired. The 
sides of the Raleigh, which has a battery of ten five-inch rapid-fire guns, were a 
continuous sheet of flame, and the eight-inch guns of the Olympia, Boston and 
Baltimore hurled an unbroken stream of 250-pound shell at the doomed ships 
of the enemy. Five Jimes the Commodore led the fleet up and down the 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. M3 

Spanish line, after which we hauled out to breakfast, but not before we rea- 
lized that the victory was ours. 

" The Castilla was riddled and burning. A shell through the steam pipe 
of the Reina Christina showed she was in trouble. Two hours later she burst 
into flames and both ships were burned to the water's edge. The other 
Spanish craft had been handled so severely that they had retired behind the 
mole of the navy yard. The Mindanoa was beached. 

" One torpedo boat, early in the fight, tried to slip out and attack our 
reserve squadron, composed of the McCuUoch and the transports Nanshan 
and Zafiro, which we had left out of range of the action. She had hardly 
made clear her purpose before the small rapid-fire guns of all our ships were 
concentrated on her. and she was fairly blown out of the water onto the 
beach 

Stopped to Eat Breakfast 

" At 7:30, the Commodore made signal to retire, in order to give the 
crews a rest and breakfast. They had been standing by their guns all night, 
and had oecn fighting them for three hours. The rest was welcomed by all. 
After breakfast and the council of war, it was decided to attack and destroy 
the shore batteries at Cavite. On signal, the Baltimore led the way, ran 
up to within two thousand yards, received their concentrated fire, and 
literally smothered them with shell. The other ships quickly took their 
places, and within the brief space of thirty minutes not another shot was fired 
from the shore. 

" The Don Antonio d'Ulloa still floated the flag of Spain and fired a few 
shots. Her decks were swept of every living soul, and she sank riddled with 
shell. The work of the big ships was over. The Raleigh, Concord, and 
Petrel were then ordered inside to " destroy shipping." But the draft of the 
Raleigh, twenty feet, was too great to allow her to get over the shoal water, 
and after getting aground twice the attempt had to be abandoned. The Con- 
cord ran over and found the Mindanoa, while the Petrel went up to the navy 
yard. The enemy, however, had anticipated them, and all the gunboats were 
on fire or scuttled. The arsenal was in ruins from the shelling. 

"At 1:30 the Spanish flag was hauled down, and the Petrel signalled: 
^" The enemy has surrendered." 

" A mighty cheer went up from all the ships. A most extraordinary 
victory was ours — not one man did we lose, and there were only six men 
slightly wounded, on the Baltimore, v/hile from last accounts the Spaniards 
lost between 900 and iioo men killed and wounded. 

" The Spanish Commodore was wounded, and the captain, a lieutenant, 
the chaplain, and a midshipman were killed by a shell striking the bridge of 



J44 DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 

the Reina Christina. — She lost beside 80 men killed, and had 60 men 
wounded. The Castilla lost 1 10 men killed and wounded. The shore bat- 
teries suffered badly. Had we been able to engage their ships and batteries 
at short range, the battle would have been more quickly over; but our loss 
of life would in all probability have been considerable. 

" On the Lunetta in front of Manila is a battery of ten-inch Krupp guns. 
These guns opened on the fleet as it passed in the early morning, and by so i 
doing exposed the city to a merciless bombardment, which but for the human- 
ity of our commander might have put to death thousands of inhabitants, and 
laid the city in ruins. 

" Even after the first part of the battle was over the battery kept firing. 
But after the final destruction of the naval station and the silencing of the 
Spanish ships off the city, a white flag was hoisted over this battery, and not 
a gun was thereafter fired. 

Dismantled the Forts. 

" During Monday, May 2d, the Raleigh and Baltimore were sent down 
to demand the surrender or to destroy the forts at the mouth of the bay. 
Arrived off the principal fort and headquarters on Corregidor Island, a flag 
of truce was sent in and the surrender of the Spaniards was demanded, 
whereupon the Governor and the colonel commanding the forces came on 
board and arranged the terms with Captain Coghlan, of the Raleigh. We 
have since dismantled their guns, destroyed their ammunition and put all the 
Spaniards on parole not to bear arms against the United States during this 
war, or to attempt to fire a shot at our ships entering or leaving the bay." 

One of the arrivals at the port of Philadelphia recently, and one which 
was of more than passing interest to the American people at large, was the 
fine British ship Dalcairne, direct from Manila. She was on the scene of the 
great naval battle which resulted in Dewey's annihilation of the Spanish fleet 
under Admiral Montojo. She dropped anchor at Girard Point one hundred 
and forty-one days from the harbor of Cavite, landing a cargo of 10,998 bales 
of hemp. 

The Dalcairne was the first vessel to arrive at Philadelphia bearing eye- 
witnesses of the thrilling scenes of May ist, and only the second one which 
up to this time had reached the United States. She had on board a most 
interesting collection of souvenirs of the battle. In her hold were securely 
packed away two guns of historic interest. One from the cruiser Baltimore, 
presented by Admiral Dewey to the Monumental City to commemorate the 
deeds done by its namesake, and the other from the ill-fated Reina Castilla, 
which is the property of the Navy Department at Washington. 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 1-15 

Besides these invaluable mementos of the engagement Captain Jones was 
the possessor of relics and trinkets galore from the abandoned hulks of the 
defeated Dons. While in harbor at Manila the Dalcairne was visited by- 
Admiral Dewey, who presented several gifts to the captain. The guns were 
secured at Cavite from Consul-General Williams. Captain Jones would have 
secured many more articles had it not been for the depredations committed 
by the crew of a Nova Scotian bark in the vicinity, who quickly and sum- 
marily looted the shattered vessels of all portable articles with the skill of 
accomplished wreckers. 

On the morning of the naval battle, about 2 o'clock, all were sleeping on 
the Dalcairne except the watch and the steward, who notified Captain Jones 
in his berth of the approach of the American squadron. Very little time was 
consumed by the ship's company in tumbling out of their hammocks and 
berths. 

The position of the Dalcairne was a perilous one, being directly in the 
line of fire of the Spanish ships. Their guns, apparently elevated too high, 
however, hurled their destructive missiles slightly above the Britisher, and 
she was consequently struck only once by a shell, which tore away a portion 
of her top hamper. Still, had it not been for the fact that the American ships 
manoeuvred so constantly. Captain Jones thinks that his vessel must have sus- 
tained serious damage. The smoke hung so heavily that it was difficult to 
see anything of the engagement after it was well on, but the crew saw one 
thing distinctly, and that was the heroic work of Admiral Montojo in trans- 
ferring his flag to another vessel under a rain of death-dealing projectiles 
They could but admire his bravery. 

A Feat of Superb Courage. 

" How that little boat escaped utcer destruction," said Captain Jones, " fs 
a myster}'. Ever}' man on her was a hero, but the Spanish admiral dis- 
counted for coolness anything that has ever come under my observation. 
During that perilous passage of a mile or more he stood upright in the stern 
perfectly unmoved, although splashes of water flew repeatedly over the little 
craft from the fragments of shell and larger shot which exploded frequently 
v/ithin a few yards of her. We all held our breath until Montojo was safe out 
of the fr}'ing-pan into the fire, as the saying is, and we all devoutly hoped he 
would cross that expanse of water in safety. It was an example of unpar- 
alleled heroism." 

Admiral Dewey is one of those prudent men who never like to go into 
battle unprepared. Before entering the harbor of Manila, he had every part 
cf his fleet in fighting order, as he stated in a letter from Hong Kong. — Mr. 
Charles Dewey, brother of the Admiral, celebrated his fiftieth wedding anni- 



146 DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 

versary two days after the Battle of Manila. On the evening of the cele- 
bration he received a letter from the admiral. It was postmarked Hong 
Kong, and had been written before the declaration of war. It was the last 
bit of correspondence that passed between the hero of Manila and bis relatives 
in this country before the battle. After treating of private matters the Admiral 
went on to say that he had not had a good night's sleep for nearly thirty days. 
All the time had been spent in preparing his fleet for action. Word was 
expected at any minute to move on Manila, and he expressed confidence 
that he would have the city at his mercy within twenty-four hours. This 
letter, written before the battle, was no vain boast, as the result showed. 

Celebrating Dewey's Victory. 

The people of Montpelier, Vt., hailed his victory with demonstrations of 
rejoicing. When a press correspondent called on his sister, Mrs. Greely, he 
found her writing to her beloved brother. On the table and on the wall were 
pictures of him. 

" I am just writing to my dear brother," said she, " and telling him of the 
magnificent manner in which his native town celebrated his victory. I know 
he will be greatly pleased to hear about it. These are the proudest days of 
my life ! " and her eyes welled with tears. 

All accounts show that in his early life Dewey was full of eu^rgy, fond of 
fun, was not averse to playing tricks, had a strong will, and gave promise of 
one day becoming a rugged personality who would not be afraid to wage 
relentless warfare upon any obstacle that stood in his way. His grand 
achievement at Manila was what might have been expected from a man of 
his sterling qualities. One of the qualifications of a great commander is the 
ability to gain the confidence of his men and inspire them with his own 
courage. In this respect Dewey is pre-eminent, as is shown by his success. 

Admiral Dewey christened the cruiser Baltimore " The Tiger." So says 
Chief-Engineer John D. Ford, in a letter to his wife, who lives in the Maryland 
metropolis. Mr. Ford thus tells of some narrow escapes during the battle : 

"A 5.2-inch armor-piercing shell entered the hammock netting, just abaft 
):he starboard after 6-inch gun sponson. This space was stowed full of brass 
. -ranopies, rails, etc., so that it made a great racket. Lieutenant Kellogg was 
\,ust coming up the starboard hatch to see if the three-pounder Hotchkiss gun 
mounted on the rail there had plenty of ammunition. The shell struck two 
of the three-pounder shells that were on the deck besides the gun, exploding 
them. Kellogg ducked, as a man will involuntarily; one piece ripped his coat 
right down the back without leaving a scar on him, and another cut his shin. 



DEWEYS MEN TELL OF MANILA. 117 

" Ensign Irwin was standing on a grating of this hatch, figliting his guns, 
between two of the gratings that were knocked down, but was uninjured. The 
shell struck the recoil cylinder of the port after six-inch gun, putting that gun 
out of commission for the rest of that day, glanced and struck the shield, 
glanced down and struck the gun carriage, glanced up again against the inside 
of the shield, traversed inside of it circumferentially, hit a ventilator, and finally 
an iron ladder on the starboard side again, where its force was expended and 
it dropped to the deck without exploding. The most of our wounded were 
injured by this shot. 

" Earlier Ensign Irwin was standing on the engine-room hatch fighting 
his guns, when a shot skimmed his head so close that he took off his cap to 
see if it was cut. While he was holding it in his hand looking at it another 
shot struck it, carrying it out of his hand overboard. 

" One man worked at his gun for an hour with a broken leg, not know- 
ing it was broken. Doesn't it seem almost miraculous that there should have 
been so many narrow escapes without a person in the fleet being killed and 
with so few wounded ? " 



-t-^ 




CHAPTER IX. 

The Spanish Flag Struck to the Stars and Stripes. 

HE fate of Manila lay in Admiral Dewey's hands from that May 
day, when the destruction of Admiral Montojo's fleet had so 
brilliantly inaugurated our war with Spain. He waited, however, 
for reinforcements, in command of Major General Wesley Mer 
ritt. It would have been easy for him to reduce Manila to ashes, and shell 
its defenseless citizens; much easier still would it have been subsequently 
for the insurgents to indulge in barbarous retaliations on their helpless ene- 
mies and give v/ay to excesses which, with the limited force at his disposal, 
he would have been utterly unable to quell, and for which, none the less, he 
would have been held responsible by the European powers whose local in- 
terests were at stake. 

The first expedition under Brigadier-General Greene, reached the 
Philippines on June 30th, after taking possession, on its way, of the Ladrones, 
a group of some 20 islands with an estimated population of 10,000, lying 1200 
miles east of the Philippines. A second instalment arrived on July 17th, and 
a third under General McArthur on the 31st, General Greene having mean- 
while taken up a position within rifle range of Malate, a suburb of Manila, 
and called it " Camp Dewey," a name to conjure with. 

The arrival of the third expedition filled the Spaniards with rage, and 
they determined to give battle before Camp Dewey could be reinforced. The 
trench extended from the beach, three hundred yards to the left flank of the 
insurgents. 

Sunday being the insurgents' feast day and their left flank having been 
withdrawn the American right flank was left exposed. Here w^as an oppor- 
tunity not to be despised. Companies A and E, of the Tenth Pennsylvania, 
and Utah Battery were ordered to reinforce the right flank. 

In the midst of a raging- typhoon, with a tremendous downpour of rain, 
the enemy's force, estimated at 3000 men, attempted to surprise the camp.^ 
Our pickets were driven in and the trenches assaulted. 

The fight in the trenches south of Malate, on the night of Sunday, July 
31st, which cost the Pennsylvania troops so dearly, began by the usual eve- 
ning firing by the Spaniards, and continued against the Americans just as it 
had been kept up against the insurgents, when only Filipinos occupied the 
trenches. The Americans, regardless of personal danger, replied, as they 
148 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. i :0 

always did, standing up and exposing themselves fearlessly so as to make 
their fire more effective. The Spaniards shot more accurately than usual, 
and the Americans suffered largely from the sharpshooters. 

The most dangerous place was the open ground just behind the trenches, 
which our reinforcements crossed fearlessly, and it was there, where much 
of our loss occurred. The enemy suffered severely, although the Spaniards 
themselves did not know how many they lost. One man said he saw five 
carloads of dead soldiers hauled into Ermita. 

The battle was precipitated apparently by the eager desire of the Penn^ 
sylvanians to get into action. When the men kept in the trenches the Spanish 
fire was harmless and merited no reply. The First Colorado men, who began 
the trench and the First Nebraska troops, who finished it, worked steadily at 
throwing up the parapet during the day and night, and suffered no loss. 
There was desultory firing at them, but it was wild, and they made no re- 
sponse. They paid no attention to the enemy and went on with their work. 

" The day after the fight,'' an officer who took part in the battle, writes 
a few days after the engagement, " I went over to Camp Dewey from Cavite, 
and spent that night in the trench with the First Colorado, Utah Batteries, 
and Third Battalion, First California. The Spaniards keep up a terrible fire 
nearly all night. For a few minutes after it began the Utah boys kept up a 
livcl)' fire with their 3-inch guns, and the Colorado boys showed the Span- 
iards a trick in volley firing. Then our fire ceased, and thereafter from the 
main trench not a shot was fired all night. 

" Not a man was hurt after our firing stopped. They sat behind their 
parapet and let the Spaniards blaze away. Bullets and shells flew over our 
heads in whistling chorus until daylight, and then there was a tremendous 
outburst. Colonel Hale, however, kept his men down, and after a while the 
Spaniards got tired and ceased firing. 

Our First Advance. 

" It was on the morning of Friday, July 29th, that our men first went 
fofward to the trenches. From the time, about the middle of July, when the 
fir.st battalion of California men located the camp at Tambo, which General 
Anderson afterward named Camp Dewey, outposts had been stationed regu- 
larly somewhere near the insurgent line. When the Colorado men were sent 
to camp with the other battalions of the First California they .'-ent outposts 
out also and got into the trouble of which you have been told. Finally, when 
' the camp grew to its present size and there was prospect that it would grow 
ttill larger, it became undesirable to have the insurgents in our front. There 
wajj no telling when the Spaniards might make a rush and drive them back, 



150 THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

as they were reported to have done that night the Colorado men turned out 
the whole camp. 

" So General Greene sent to Aguinaldo, in General Merritt's name, and 
asked to have the insurgents restrained from stirring up the Spaniards every 
night. The high firing sometimes dropped shells and bullets among our out- 
posts, and it wasn't a good thing anyway to have another force between us 
and our enemy. So the insurgents were withdrawn from their outposts all 
along our front, clear over to Pasai, as the maps have it, or Pineda, as the 
people call it, and on Friday our troops were sent forward to take their place. 

" It wf.s the lot of the Colorado men first to take position directly in front 
of the enemy. Two battalions went forward under Lieutenant-Colonel McAvoy 
and the third battalion was held in reserve. Colonel McAvoy saw at once 
that the old insurgent trench was untenable. It was in a bad place, easily 
flanked, and there was good cover in front of it. Beyond the right end there 
was thickly wooded country, through which the enemy could make an 
advance with good chance of escaping observation. Colonel McAvoy decided 
to advance the line to the old Capuchin Chapel, which stood in the middle of 
the field in front of the old insurgent trench. He looked over the ground 
with his engineers and then laid out the line of the intrenchment. 

Digging Under Fire. 

"It was I o'clock in the afternoon when the men went to work on the 
ditch. It had been raining pretty steadily for a week, and there were heavy 
squalls at frequent intervals that afternoon, but most of the time the Spaniards 
had an entirely unobstructed view of the Americans and what they were doing. 
They took note of it occasionally in a disinterested sort of way by sending a 
Mauser bullet down now and then to investigate. The messengers were 
almost all very high and no damage was done to our men, who kept at work, 
undisturbed by the desultory shooting. The Colorado boys had the making 
of a good breastwork done when they were relieved in the morning by the 
First Nebraska regiment. 

"The ditch, trench, outwork, or whatever you might call it, was simply a 
lot of dirt piled up in a line that ran at right angles to the beach and the main 
road to Manila — Camina Real— and extended across the 250 yards, more or 
less, between them. It crossed fairly open country, on ground that is reason- 
ably called high for that locality. It is level and perhaps six feet above the 
sea, highest just at the beach line. A line of bamboos fringe the east side of 
the Camina Real and a similar line runs all along the edge of the beach. 

" The Nebraska boys kept up their work on the breastwork all day Satur- 
day, and the Spaniards paid them no more attention than they had paid to the 



THE FIGHT AT MA LATE. 1"^ 

Colorado boys the day before. The Nebraska men worked on both sides of the 
parapet, making two ditches, the dirt from both of whicli they heaped on the 
long pile that gradually rose to a height of nearly seven feet all along the line. 
Behind the parapet the ditch was made wide but shallow, so that water would 
not stand in it. Vain hope ! Water will stand in a boot track anywhere on 
that field after such rains as we are having now. 

The Old Capuchin Chapel. 

"About seventy«yards west of the road stands the ruin of an old Capuchin 
chapeL It was in good condition when this rebellion began, but many bullets 
and shells have wrecked it almost completely. In the centre of it north and 
south a wide hall runs through from east to west. On the east the ticnch 
began just north of the big double door that opened into this hall and ran 
straight to the road. On the west, on the sea side, the trench joined the 
chapel at the north corner. Earth was piled against the north end of the 
chapel to the height of six or seven feet, up to the level of the two iron- 
barred windows. 

"At the beach the parapet jumps forward about five yards and then 
swings across the eight or ten yards of beach to the wreck of an old caisson, 
such as the Spaniards used in Cavite to fill with rocks and put in front of their 
ships as improvised armor. At the base of the inside of the parapet there is 
a solid shoulder projecting out about two feet all along the line for the men 
to stand on when they rise up to fire over the earthwork. Along the top of 
the parapet there are notches and peepholes for the lookouts. 

" On Saturday, July 30th, the work was far enough advanced to place 
some artillery in position, and light batteries A and B of the Utah Battalion 
sent forward two guns, each with eight men to a gun, under command of their 
lieutenants. The guns of Battery A were placed on the right of the chapel, 
about equidistant from it and the road. Battery B's guns were placed at the 
left of the chapel, a little to the cast of the line of bamboos that fringes 

the beach. 

" The Spaniards kept whacking away at our boys occasionally on Sat- 
urday, but did no damage whatever at the trench. Further down the road, 
however, at the barricade where the footpath crosses the road north of the 
Pasai road, they drew the first American blood that was let in the conquest 
of the Philippine Islands. Private W. IT. Sterling of Company K. First Col- 
orado, was the man hit. His regiment had been relieved by the Nebraska j 
boys at 10 o'clock and was returning to camp. As he was marching along a 
bullet that had been fired high came down the road and took him in the muscle 
\n the upper part of the left arm. It stung and it bled, but it didn't hurt very 



152 THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

much and did no serious damage. Sterling will soon be about his work again 
as if he never had been hit by a Spanish bullet. 

" Saturday afternoon the report came over to Cavite that the Astor bat- 
tery had been moved up into the trenches, but it was a mistake. The Astoi 
battery had no ammunition. When the Astors were landed from the Newport 
there v/as a nasty surf running and their cascos could not get in to the beach. 
'They waded ashore and dragged their guns through the surf. Their ammu* 
nition was soaked. It had been bought as waterproof, but Captain March 
took no chances and examined one of the big brass shells. He found that the 
water had got into it and turned the powder to mush. So he had the whole 
lot examined and found nearly all spoiled. The bad powder was taken out 
and thrown away and the Astors are now reloading their shells with powder 
given them by Admiral Dewey. 

Spanish Fire Gets Lively. 

" On Saturday night the Spaniards put a little morfe spirit into their 
work, and peppered away in lively fashion. The breastwork was nearly fin- 
ished, and the Nebraska boys took no chances by trying to go on with their 
work at it. Colonel Breitt had them all inside the parapet. They kept as 
sharp a lookout as was possible in the nasty night, and for the rest sat tight, 
making no reply to the Spanish fire. The result was that no one was hurt. 
They had thrown pickets out to their right, across the road beyond the line 
of intrenchment. There was no effort to flank them, and the pickets had no 
work to do. The Utah artillerymen tore up part of the floor of the old chapel 
and built platforms for their guns to keep them out of the mud and water as 
much as possible, and to make a comparatively easy place for landing them. 

" The embrasures were strengthened and closed up as much as possible, 
and when that was done the rest of the lumber was turned into shacks beside 
the guns, into which the young artillerymen from Utah crawled and went to 
sleep, sheltered from the rain, and as little concerned about the Spanish bullets 
as they were about the water, which fell in torrents from the unfriendly skies 
upon the Nebraska infantrymen. 

"On Sunday morning, July 31st, the Tenth Pennsylvania relieved the 
First Nebraska in the trench, and a new detachment of Utah men went up to 
man the four guns of their batteries. The men worked along that day com- 
pleting the parapet and strengthening it, and were undisturbed by the Span- 
iards, who were hardly wide enough awake to keep up the desultory fire with 
which they had tried to annoy the Colorado and Nebraska men on the two 
previous days. 

"The Spanish trench is about 750 yards from that occupied by tho 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE." I'i.l 

Americans. It begins at the beach soutli of the Polvorm, outside the old 
fort at Malate, and runs northeast until it clears the fort, then it turns to the 
east and runs in a straight line well out beyond the Caniina Real. It is 9 
solid-looking fortification, with plenty of rocks in the parapet, and topped 
with sandbags. In front of it, to the south, a small creek wriggles about over 
the low, swampy field. A road which leads from the fort to the Camina 
^ Real crosses this creek by a stone bridge, which has been piled high with 
sandbags. 

"About 150 yards in front of our trench a little strip of tall grass run.s 
across the open field from the beach to the road. Further north about 150 
yards runs the trench the Spanish occupied at first, but from which they 
retreated a couple of weeks ago when the insurgents got their battery of olc\ 
smoothbores at work down the road a little way. The country between the 
two trenches is low and level. About the Camina Real the field, which is 
fairly open nearer the beach, is full of bunches of scrub, here and there a 
banana growing wild, a clump of acacias or a bunch of bamboos. It's just 
the kind of country for men who are game enough to sneak up on their 
enemy and try to pot him when he doesn't suspect any danger. 

" East of the Camina Real, behind our position, the country' is low and 
swampy, with a few paddy fields, and much bamboo and banana scrub. In 
front and to the right of our position the field is fairly open, but there is con- 
siderable scrub. There the ground is higher. Ultimately our work will 
extend across this field. Just now the trench is little more than begun. 

Spanish Try to Turn Our Flank. 

" Of just what happened on Sunday night there always will be many 
stories. There are a great many going about now, some of them decidedly 
contradictory, and more of them are fulminating. The one which has per- 
haps more supporters than any other, and enjoys besides the merit, or at least 
the fact, of having been accepted by General Greene and published in General 
Orders, is that the Spaniards attempted to flank our line. That may be true. 
It has one fact in its support and there are two against it. 

" The one fact in confirmation is that in the fight which occurred our 
men going up as reinforcements were subjected to a cross fire. There is no 
doubt that some Spaniards had left their trench and crawled out into the scrub 
in front and to the right of our right line, then resting in the Camina Real at 
the end of the trench. The piclcets of the Tenth Pennsylvania were driven 
in. They had been posted for the most part directly in front of their regiment, 
but some of them were east of the road and ahead of the line. 

" The two facts against this theory are, first, that the fire of th< Spaniards 



154 THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

was very heavy and that most of it was by volley, which it could not have 
been from men scattered about in the scrub brush and grass ; second, that the 
outposts of the second platooon of Battery K, Third United States Artillery, 
were not driven in and did not come in until they were relieved at their station 
on Monday morning. This platoon of K Battery was stationed on the Pasai 
road in reserve. Lieutenant Kessler sent forward four or five Cossack posts 
— four men and a non-commissioned officer. These outposts were stationed 
to the right and ahead of our line, but through all the heavy firing of the night 
they made no report. No Spaniards came their way, a very singular fact if 
there was an effort to turn our right flank. 

Enemy Opens the Attack. 

" It seems much the most probable of all the stories that this is what 
happened : The Spaniards, having recovered, from their lethargy of a few 
days, concluded to stir things up. They had not been stirred up themselves 
for several days. The insurgents had not been there to harass them, and our 
men had orders not to begin an engagement. The Spaniards must have 
known that the insurgents had been withdrawn from the trenches and that the 
Americans were in. There is no more resemblance between our trench and 
the insurgents' affair than there is between a clipper ship and a coal barge. 

" Accordingly, about lO o'clock on Sunday night, the Spani.sh fire took 
on a regularity which showed that there was definite intention and purpose 
somewhere in the camp. The bullets began to whistle about our fellows in 
droves. The guns at Malate opened up also, and their roar, the shriek of their 
shells, and the loud cracking report of bursting shells added to the other 
general evidence to ihe Pennsylvanians that they were under fire. The 
Spanish fire, heavy as h was, was harmless as long as they kept down behind 
the earthwork. But the Pennsylvanians could not resist the temptation to 
return the fire, and straightway the trouble arose. 

" It was a terrible night. Rain fell incessantly and in torrents. A fierce 
wind drove it across the fields and into the trench, under the little shelter the 
men had thrown up. A quarter moon struggled to force a little light through 
<ihe heavy clouds, and succeeded only in making a ghostly glow through 
which all objects showed black and awful. The long bamboos were tossed 
about by the wind that roared through giant acacias and mangoes with the 
rush and noise of a Niagara. 

" The little clumps of bamboo and acacia, that dotted the field in front of 
our line, bobbed about in the gale, and were beaten down by the rain in such 
fashion that they made the best kind of cover for venturesome devils— if there 
ftre any such among the Spanish — in crawling out to attack our line. The 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 155 

ditch behind our parapet filled up with thin mud. Little streams of mud ran 
down the embankment into this little lake. The platforms built by the Utah 
boys for their guns were four inches under mud, and still the rain drove down 
in blinding sheets. 

" Soon after the Spaniards began their regular and heavy fire the Penn- 
sylvania pickets began to come in. They had been posted in Cossack out- 
posts almost directly in front of our line, about seventy-five yards distant. 
Some of the posts extended over to the right of our line, and should have 
been in touch wnth the posts set by Lieutenant Kessler from Battery K. They 
were not in touch with the regulars, however, because they returned to the 
trench and reported that they were driven in, whereas the regulars never were 
heard from, and were relieved next morning at their stations. There had been 
heavy firing on their left nearly all night, they reported, and they had taken 
some part in replying to it, but no enemy had appeared before them and they 
had suffered no loss. 

Danger on the Right. 

" When the Pennsylvania pickets came tumbling back into their trench, 
they reported that the enemy was in force on our right front and was trying 
to flank us. That was serious business. Major Cuthbertson brought K 
and B companies up the Camina Real into the trench at once and sent word 
to Major Bierer to come forward with D and E companies and go in on our 
right across the road. While this was going on, the firing of the Spanish 
was maintained at a terrific rate. The crack of their Mauser rifles, short, 
sharp, spiteful, was like the long roll beaten on a giant bass drum. It was 
punctuated continually with the bursting of the shells they were throwing 
from the fort at Malate. 

" The American reply was as vigorous. At the start the Pennsylvania 
men fired by volley and did it well. The roar of their old Springfields all 
loosed off together was like the report of a lo-inch rifle. It was almost im- 
possible to tell here in Cavite whether it was volley firing or cannonading. 
At times it sounded as if the Raleigh, which had taken the Boston's place off* 
Camp Dewey, had moved up opposite Malate and opened on the Spaniards 
with her 8-inch rifles. The artillery rncn from Utah were as cool as if they 
were bathing in their favorite salt lake. They got their four guns into action 
in a hurr>% and kept them there with a regularity that was undisturbed by 
the terrific assault made on them by the Spaniards. Small as they had made 
the embrasures for their guns, they were yet large enough for a hailstorm of 
Mauser bullets to sweep through 

" How more of the men were not hit can never be explained. The steel- 



156 THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

cased bullets kept up a constant ringing on the metal of the cannon, but only 
one struck a gunner, and he got off with a flesh wound in the arm. Lieu- 
tenant Gibbs, of Battery A, standing with his right hand resting on the wheei 
of one of his guns, got an illustration of how close one may com.e to being 
hit. A bullet struck the tire of the wheel just inside his thumb and passed 
under his hand, leaving a little burned strip across his thumb where it passed. 

A Storm of Steel. 

" By this time it was a business fight. The Spanish were using their 
magazines and firing by squads. A great deal of the fire was high, some of 
it very high, but never before had any of our boys seen the Spanish anywhere 
near so accurate, and some of the Americans had been under their fire in the 
insurgent trenches many times. 

" The bullets were flying over their heads in swarms. They whizzed, 
they whistled, they sang as a telegraph wire does in a wind. They zipped, 
they buzzed, they droned like a bagpipe far away, like a June bug seeking a 
light on a hot night, like a blue bottle buzzing against a window pane. They 
beat against the outside of our embankment with a sound like hailstones 
striking soft mud, like the faint hoofbeat of the horses going up the back- 
tftretch in the Suburban as it comes to you on the patrol judge's stand at the 
middle distance. They rattled against the old Capuchin chapel and ripped 
through its iron roof with a noise such as children make wnth a stick on a 
picket fence running along and drawing the stick across the pickets, or like a 
man drumming on a window blind. 

" Did you ever hear the cook beating up eggs on a platter wnth a big 
spoon ? If that noise were magnified a thousand times it would give a sug- 
gestion of the tattoo the bullets beat on that old chapel. And all this time 
there were the shells. Men who were in the civil war say the shells came 
through the air saying ' Where is you? ' ' Where is you ?' all run together. 
They sound like the ripping of silk, and they give you the same feeling down 
the back that it does to pull a string through your teeth. 

" The shells smashed through the poor old chapel and burst inside. They 
burst as they struck its heavy brick walls ; they burst short; they struck our 
embankment and burst ; they burst over the heads of our men ; they flew 
high and went down the fields, bursting sometimes among our men hurrying 
up to reinforce the Pennsylvanians ; they burst along the Camino Real; they 
were almost as thick as bullets, and yet strange as it -eems, there is record 
of only one man who was hurt by a shell, and he was not at all seriously 
wounded. He was Second Lieutenant A. J. Buttermore, D Company, Tenth 
Pennsylvania. A shell burst just in front of and over him. A piece of it hit 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. J37 

;iim over the left eye and knocked him down. It made an ugly cut, but that 
was all. He got up and went on about his work, too busy to stop and hunt 
in the dark for the piece that hit him. 

" All this time — it seemed long, but it wasn't — our fellows were pumping 
away at a great rate, and the roar of our volleys was warning the officers and 
men in Camp Dewey that there was hot work at the front. The Spanish were 
giving us a practical lesson of the value of smokeles« powder. Every time 
our guns cracked a line of flame ran along the top of our embankment. Every 
sheet of flame drew a fresh hail of Mauser bullets. Every time a Utah gun 
cracked a Spanish cannon was aimed at the flash. There our boys had as 
good a mark as the enemy, and they did their best. It was only guessing at 
the range by the time between flash of gun and burst of shell, and there wasn't 
a stop watch on the line to give greater accuracy. 

" But they did good work, and they fired as coolly as if they were at 
target practice. Their work was invaluable. Not only were they perfectly 
calm and in command of themselves, but they helped to steady their friends 
from Pennsylvania, who were beginning to get excited. Reports began to go 
along the line that the enemy were getting around the right flank. The in- 
fantrymen thought they could detect a change in the diiection of the bullets 
that were whistling over their heads. More of them seemed to be coming 
from the east, down our line, instead of from the north, across it. 

First American Killed. 

"While this was going on Major Bierer was taking D and E Companies 
into action on our right. To do this he had to cross the open field in rear of 
our trench. It was a perfect hell he had to go through, a husdred yards cf 
open ground, without sign of protection, swept by a storm of Mauser bullets 
that came from left, from front and from right, with shells from the Spanish 
guns bursting among and around them all the time. 

" Then the first American soldier in the Philippines fell before Spanish 
bullets. He was Corporal W. E. Brown of D Company, A Mauser bullet 
struck him through the body, and he fell dead in his tracks. All about him 
men were dropping with bullets in the legs or arms. Some who were wounded 
kept on toward the enemy. A little beyond where Brown fell, Private William 
E. Stillwagon of E Company got the bullet that cost him his life. Still the 
men went on with fine courage, and into position in the open field across the 
road at the right of our line. There they held their ground, pumping away 
at the Spaniards as hard as they could. 

" Now a perfectly natural thing occurred with these green troops. TlieiV 
pluck was as fine as man could ask. They were game to try to do anything 



158 THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

they were told, but they had never been ' shooted over/ as the Enghsh say, 
and they got excited. They lost the regularity of their volley fire and their 
effectiveness decreased tremendously in consequence. They could not see 
their enemy in the terrible night, and they could not see the flash of his 
rifles. They could not locate him and they were firing absolutely in the dark. 
With the roar of your own guns in your ears it is hard to judge by the crack 
of the enemy's Mauser where he is. It is difficult to tell where a Mauser is 
fired when you have quiet and daylight. How almost impossible it is in the 
dark with battle raging about you, and a howling wind driving a terrific rain 
in eddies and gusts into your face and down your neck! 

Brave Captain O'Hara. 

" For an hour the fight had been going on fiercely. The noise of it got 
out to the ships of the fleet, drifting against the wind, and the searchlights 
began to wink and to travel over toward the Spanish position. Blessed relief 
to our men. It gave them now and then a glimpse of the country ahead of 
them. They could see something of where they were shooting, but still they 
could see no enemy. Camp Dewey had been awake a long time. 

" Lying in his tent, almost at the north end of the camp, Captain O'Hara, 
in command of the battalion of the Third Artillery, unable to get sleep, had 
been keeping track of the firing. He knew our men had but fifty rounds of 
ammunition with them, and he realized that at the rate they were shooting 
that would soon be expended. He didn't know what the trouble was, but he 
did know that if they were attacked they would want help when their ammu- 
nition was gone, and they would want it mighty badly. 

" Battery K of his battalion was in position as supports ; but the orders 
were not to go in unless the Pennsylvanians were in a pinch. Captain O'Hara 
counted the volleys until the firing became indiscriminate, and he understood 
that the boys were getting rattled. He had no orders, but he took a chance^ 
and he took it just in time. 

"He sounded the assembly. As the bugle-call rose over the camp, out of 
their tents tumbled the men of battery H, and into line they ran, Krag-Jor- 
gensen rifles in hand and 150 rounds in their double belts. Down the camp 
below the Third Artillery another bugler picked up the call. The First 
Colorado men heard it and swarmed out with their guns. Nebraska followed 
suit, and soon half the camp was in arms. 

" Leaving Captain Hobbs, in command of Battery H, with orders to be 
ready to advance at the bugle-call, and to bring 10,000 rounds of extra ammu- 
nition. Captain O'Hara, with his orderly and his bugler, started up the road 
toward the front. A little beyond the corner of the camp he met an orderly 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. ICO 

from Major Cuthbcrtson coming on the dead run. The orderly was blown 
and frightened. He had run through a rain of bullets on his way back for 
help, and it had increased his excitement and enlarged his notion of what had 
occurred. 

" 'We're whipped ! ' he shouted to Captain O'Hara. 'We're ' 

The Rush to the Rescue. 

" But O'Hara didn't care what else had happened. His bugler was 
already putting his soul into the command, 'forward ! ' O'Hara heard the 
answer from Hobbs's bugler, and captain, orderly and bugler charged up the 
road to the front with all the speed their legs would give. The bugles sang 
along the road in the steady, reassuring song of ' Forward ! ' and the men of 
Battery H, toiling up through the dreadful mud, answered with a cheer and a 
fre^h spurt 

" Somewhere ahead O'Hara knew Krayenbuhl and his own battery were. 
If they had not gone in already he would take them. He met men coming 
to the rear with wounded, and some coming without wounded, straggling. 

" ' We are beaten ! ' they shouted, and the ready bugler shouted the single 
reply of ' Forward ! ' The shame-faced stragglers fell in with the captain, the 
orderly and the bugler, and the little procession swept on towards the fight. 

" It was hot work in the Camino Real, Much experience had given the 
Spaniards a first-class idea of the range, and they lined the road with bullets, 
for they knew that reinforcements would be likely to come that way. The 
mud was ankle deep most of the way, and, in spite of the rain, which was 
unceasing, the heat was awful. But there was trouble ahead, and on they 
went, with the exultant bugle singing its single word ' Forward ! ' Every 
time the answer came sharp and clear from Battery H, and up the road they 
doubled for dear life. At the cross-road and the first barricade, where Kray- 
enbuhl had been posted with his regulars, there were only some stragglers, 
and Captain O'Hara thanked God and sounded ' Forward ! ' — the regulars had 
gone in. The stragglers swung in with O'Hara, and they went on up the road. 

'' The bullets spatted the mud in their faces and they hugged the bam- 
boos at the sides of the road. They advanced in double column, one on each 
side of the road, and so they escaped harm. Just beyond this barricade 
Hobbs and his men of Battery H overtook them. The bugles commanded 
' Forward ! ' and on they ran. The song of the bugles carried down the wind 
to the trenches. The hard-pressed Pcnnsylvanians heard it and answered 
with a cheer that drifted back to the hurrying regulars and put strength for a 
new spurt into their tired legs. 

" Ajs th'^y went along Captain Hobbs felt a suddden sharp sting in his 



;G0 the fight AT MALATE. 

tright thign. He put his hand down and felt blood and knew he was hit. 
But his leg worked all right and he had his bugler sound 'Forward!' and 
(vent on. 

" O'Hara was right about Krayenbuhl. The young lieutenant had been 
keeping sharp watch on what was going on in his front, and when the Ameri- 
can firing ceased to be by volleys and ran into an indiscriminate helterskelter, 
he concluded that it was about time for him to go in. Then a man came back 
with the report that everything was going to the dogs, and Krayenbuhl started 
sending a message to Kessler, over on his right, to come along in a hurry, 
Kessler was expecting the order and was ready for it, and in went the meiv 
of Battery K on the jump. Krayenbuhl got there first and he was none too 
soon. The Pennsylvanians were almost out of ammunition. Some of them 
had four or five rounds left and some of them had none. Those who still had 
cartridges were popping a way indiscriminately, firing at will. 

" Nothing was the matter with them but rattles. They had not been 
hurt. There had been reports from across the road of the loss D and E 
Companies were suffering, and some of the men had seen their dead, but in 
the trench they were all right, and the Utah artillerymen, cool as a New Eng- 
land Christmas, were serving their guns with clock-work regularity, undis- 
turbed by rumor or shell. 

'As the regulars went in and Krayenbuhl realized what was going on he 
drew his revolver and jumped among the excited men, who were firing at will, 
shouting to them to get together, and threatening to shoot the first man who 
fired without orders. His own men swung into action, and his command and 
their work had the desired effect. 

The Frightened Courier, 

"The Pennsylvanians steadied down at once. The first volley of the 
regulars, fired as if it was only one gun, brought the volunteers back into 
shape, and they cheered the men of Battery K with a cheer that rang back 
along the road to O'Hara and Hobbs, puffing up with Battery H. The roar 
of the Krag-Jorgensen volley told O'Hara and Hobbs that theii own men 
were in action, and the cheer that followed let them know that it was all right. 
But they did not slack up. Their bugles sounded the old command of ' For- 
ward ! ' and they kept on. 

" In the meantime the frightened courier had stumbled through the camp 
and into the tent of Major Jones, the master of transportation. The major 
had been up and about for some time, expecting that reinforcements would be 
sent forward and ready to send extra ammunition as soon as the orders came 
from General Greene. The courier was almost in hysterics when he found 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. Ifll 

the tiiajor, and he was exhausted with his hard run of two miles through 
the mud. 

'"Somebody take my gun,' he cried. 'Help me to General Greene! 
Where's the General ? Somebody take me there ! We're whipped ! We're 
•vhipped ! Oh, it's awful ! ' 

" They almost picked him up and dragged him across the lot and up the 
steps to the General's quarters in a native hut just in front of the camp. The 
General was up, expecting a message from the front. 

" 'General,' cried the wretched courier, 'send reinforcements — send every 
man, send every company. We're whipped, we're whipped ! The whole 
battery is wiped off the face of the earth. We're out of ammunition. Send 
help — send ' — 

" General Greene put his hand on the frightened messenger's shoulder, 
and said, steadily : 

" ' Keep cool, young man. It's all right. We'll take care of you.' 

.Bugles and Bullets. 

"After a little he got a more explicit report, but already he had ordered 
the general call to arms to be sounded through the camo and ammunition to 
be sent forward. At the general call the bugles rang all over the camp, and 
every man answered with his rifle and his belt full of cartridges. Colonel 
Smith of the First California was ordered to go forward with his regiment at 
once, and before the miserable courier had half finished his dreadful stor)% the 
first battalion under Major William Baxter was doubling up through the fields 
and the Colonel in the road was overhauling the two artillery Captains and 
the men of Battery H. The Second Battalion, under Major Hugh Sime, fol- 
lowed, to be held in reserve, and the Third Battalion, under Captain Cunning- 
ham, in the illness of Major Tilden, was left in camp, it being booked for 
duty in the trenches the next day. 

" At last General Greene got the messenger's story as fully as the badly 
scared soldier could give it, and dismissed him. The poor fellow started 
through the camp surrounded by men who were eager to hear the news from 
the front. 

" * Did you hear any bullets? ' some one asked him. 

" ' Bullets! ' he cried; ' they're like hail.' 

" General Greene at once ordered Captain Febiger of the Twenty-third 
United States Infantrv' to go out to the Raleigh and tell Captain Coglan to be 
ready to engage the Malate battery. A terrific surf was booming in on the 
beach in front of the camp, and Captain Febiger had no boat. After a lot of 
work he succeeded in signalling to the little Callao, which was lying in shore 



162 THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

off the Raleigh, to send a boat. Finally the boat got through the surf and 
Captain Febiger put out. 

"It was a tremendous task, but the Callao's men were equal to it, and 
the Captain, wet as if he had been dragged in on a lifeline, boarded the 
Raleigh. Captain Coglan's orders from Admiral Dewey put him practically 
under General Greene, and he at once prepared to respond to the General's 
command. The ship was cleared for action and the crew went to quarters. 
Meantime Captain Febiger had returned to General Greene, who sent word 
back to the Raleigh by the Callao's boat that a rocket would be the General's 
signal for the Raleigh to go in. So the Raleigh stood by with guns shotted 
and the crew at quarters waiting for the rocket, but to the great disappoint- 
ment of the jackies it was not fired. The regulars in the trenches settled the 
matter, and no help was needed from the navy. 

Oalifornian's Dreadful Mistake- 

" Before Captains O'Hara and Hoff got to the trench with Battery H, 
Kessler had joined Krayenbuhl with the second platoon of K. The steady, 
heavy volley of the Krag-Jorgensen rifles of the regulars warned the Spaniards 
that reinforcements had come, and that a new force was against them. Then 
came Boxton's battalion of California men and made a terrible mistake. They 
marched up through the open field under the hailstorm of shells and bullets 
from the Spanish. Captain Reinhold Richter of Company I was the first to 
fall, hit on the top of the head on the right side by a bullet which made a 
pulp of the outer layer of the skull. The doctors hope he will recover, but 
his condition is very critical. 

" As the men advanced First Sergeant Morris Jurth of Company A fell, 
instantly killed by a bullet through the body. Every few yards some man 
fell, but the battahon kept on until they reached the old insurgent trench. 
They had not been at the front before since our own outwork was built and 
they thought this old trench was ours. They saw firing ahead of them and 
heard the bullets whistle by. They did not stop to ask what had become of 
our men, but opened fire by volley straight into the backs of the Pennsyl- 
vanians and the regulars in the trenches ahead of them, 

" Colonel Smith, who had caught up with the regulars of Battery H and 
'was with Captain O'Hara in the trench, at once sent one of his ofiRcers back 
to warn Major Boxton of his mistake. The officer went on the run, but before 
his message was delivered three volleys had been fired. It was impossible to 
tell what the result of the shooting was or whether any of our men were hit. 
The surgeons say that they cannot distinguish a Mauser wound from a Spring- 
field, but that no man was Lulled by a shot from behind. One man was hit in 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. IG3 

the back, but that was by a Mauser bullet that struck him as he was lying 
down in the advance across the open field. The bullet stuck in his cartridge 
belt, and that's how it was shown to be a Mauser. 

" When the California Battalion finally got to the fi-ont it was sent out 
with part of the regulars to the support of D and E companies of the Penn- 
sylvanians on the right. There and in the march up through the open field 
most of our loss was met with. But there were some casualties in the trench. 
Private Brady, of I Company, Tenth Pennsylvania, was killed in the trench, 
and Private Mcllrath, of Battery H, got the wound there from which he died 
the next morr.ing. Mcllrath had been in the regular army for fifteen years, 
and was a first-class man. He was acting Sergeant in command of twenty 
men. When his men got to the trench there was a great deal of confusion 
and excitement among the Pennsylvanians, and Mcllrath jumped up on top of 
the parapet and shouted : 

" ' It's all right, boys, now we've got 'em. Get together and give it to om 
in volleys.' 

" He was walking back and forth on top of the parapet steadying the 
men, when he was hit in the head by a Mauser bullet, and fell back among 
his comrades. He died in the brigade hospital early on Monday morning. 

Private Finlay's Heroism. 

" Private J. F. Finlay, of C Company, First California, especially distin- 
guished himself. For such work as his Englishmen get the Victoria Cross. 
Finlay is detailed to Major Jones's transportation department as interpreter. 
His mother was a Mexican, and he learned Spanish before he did English. 
When ammunition was sent forward Finlay was in charge of the train. He; 
had eight carromatta loads of it, each carromatta with a native driver. He 
started when the Spanish fire was hottest and went straight up through the 
open fields. The bullets buzzed and whistled all about him. Tiie}- ripped 
through the tops of his carts, and one of them hit one of his drivers in the leg. 

" Finlay kept on as if he were going after corn on a pleasant afternoon 
until he reached the old insurgent trench. Then he halted his train and went 
forward alone to find some one from the Tenth Pennsylvania to whom he 
could deliver the ammunition. That last hundred yards into our trench was 
what Captain O'Hara, a grizzled veteran who has seen a-plenty of hot work, 
called a 'very hot place.' It was swept incessantly by Spanish bullets. But 
Finlay hunted around until he found his man, went back and got his carro- 
mattas, and started forward. One of his ponies was shot just in the rear of 
our trench. Finlay took it out of the cart, and, with the native driver, hauled 
the cart along to its place, delivered his cartridges, and started back. 



IG4 THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

■" On the way he found Captain Richter lying in the field where he had 
fallen. He jumped out of his carromatta, put the Captain in, and started on. 
Pretty soon he found another wounded man. That one was picked up, too, 
and back he went to camp. Then he turned the wounded over to the surgeons 
and got orders to take ten carromattas to the front and bring back the wounded. 
Back over that bullet-swept field he went again, as cool and unconcerned as if 
on a dnve through Golden Gate Park, did his work, brought in the wounded, 
and turned in to get what sleep he could before the hard day's work began 
soon after daylight. 

" After he had sent forward everything that he could to help the men at 
the front, General Greene went out himself By this time it was after 2 
o'clock, and the worst of it was over. The regulars were pumping in heavy 
volleys, and the Utah boys were cracking away at their undisturbed target 
practice, and the ' attempt at flanking ' was repulsed. General Greene 
stayed at the front until after 3 o'clock, and then returned to camp. At day- 
light there was a sharp burst of firing by the Spaniards, but our men did not 
respond, and there was no damage done. The wounded were all brought 
into camp, and the serious cases were treated at the brigade hospital ; the 
others were taken care of at regimental hospitals or went to their tents. 

Burial of the Dead. 

" In the afternoon the eight dead were buried in the yard of the old con- 
vent at Maribacan, back of the camp. There were no coffins available, so 
each man was sewed up in his blanket, and an identification tag was sewed 
fast to it. They were buried all in one trench, and headboards were set up 
to mark the graves, bearing the names of the dead. The chaplain of the 
Tenth Pennsylvania took a careful description of the place and the graves, 
with the names and records of the dead 

" The surgeons worked all day over the wounded, and did not get 
through until 9 o'clock in the evening. They found several very serious 
cases, some of which have since resulted in death. 

" On Monday two battalions of the First Colorado and the third battalion 
of the First California were sent into the trenches with a new detachment of 
the even-tempered Mormons. They finished the work on the embankment, 
and the California men, who went in on the right of the road where D and E 
companies of the Pennsylvanians suffered so severely the night before, began 
to dig a trench for themselves. It was a nasty, slimy place they had, and 
hard work intrenching. Just as they had got a ridge of mud about two 
feet high thrown up in front of them, the Spaniards cut loose again, A red 
hot fire was kept up all night, and the Californians responded with vigor. 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 1C5 

One man was shot through the left shoulder, but it was only a flesh wound, 
and not serious. 

" When the evening performance opened, the Colorado and Utah men 
in the trenches replied hotly, the infantrymen firing volleys that were hard to 
tell from big-gun firing, and the Utah men blazing away in their old, level- 
headed fashion. The practice of the Spanish gunners was excellent, and the 
■shells burst all about the intrenchment. The Spaniards left their trench and 
advanced into the scrub. Apparently they had one field gun with them, and 
it paid particular attention to the guns of Battery B of Utah. 

" Finally, one of its shells came through the embrasure and burst on top 
of the gun, knocking off the sights. The Utah men had a shrapnel shell in 
their gun at the time, and they let it go. It burst right where the flash of 
the Spanish gun had been .seen, and the Spanish gun was heard no more that 
night. Whether it was disabled or not cannot be told. 

" Just after the firing began, Private Fred Spring.stead, D Company, First 
Colorado, was killed. He was posted at lookout, and was peering over the 
top of the trench. A Mauser bullet struck him in the left eye and went 
through hio head, killing him instantly. His head dropped on his hand, but 
that was a common action with the lookouts, and no attention was paid to it 
by his comrades until he collapsed and fell down. The ball struck him so 
quickly that it did not mark the eyelid, and when the lid was closed no mark 
of the wound showed. One man in G Company was shot in the thigh that 
night. That sums up the loss. 

" Most of the night the Colorado men sat still and let the Spaniards 
waste their ammunition. At daylight there was a sharp fire by the Spaniards 
for twenty minutes. They shelled the old chapel with excellent aim, their 
shells bursting in and around it constantly, but doing no damage to our men. 
Their ajvance had crawled to within fifty yards of our trench, and Major Bell, 
of the Engineers, Chief of Office of Military Information, on General Merritt's 
stafl", urged Colonel Hall to go over the breastwork and capture them. But 
Colonel Hall wisely refused. Some of his men surely would have been 
killed, and the loss of one man would not have been compensated for by the 
whole Spanish advance. We have more prisoners now than we know what 
to do with, and the capture of these would not have done any good ; it 
wouldn't have put us any nearer Manila." 

Tales of Heroism. 

Corporal Hudson, of the Utah Batter}', performed a notable act of gal- 
lantr>' on the night of July 31st. A gun embrasure had been wrecked by a 
shell which rendered the gun useless. Another shell entered, carrying awaf 



IGQ THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 

iie sights. Hudson jumped over the trenches, exposed himself to the heavy 
Spanish fire, reconstructed the embrasure and in five minutes the gun was 
again working. He was cheered by his comrades and congratulated by his 
comm.ander. This brave man was the American whom the insurgents at- 
tempted to arrest in Cavite on August 26th. He resisted and was shot dead. 

E. E. Kelly, a Chicago telegraph operator, had charge of the wire frorr. 
Gentrral Greene's headquarters in camp to the trenches. During the attack 
a shell cut the wire behind the trenches. Kelly seized the line outside the 
camp and ran along the line in the darkness under a hail of bullets clear up 
to the trenches, where he found the break and repaired it. Communication 
was instantly opened and the troops in the trenches were notified that rein- 
forcements v/ere advancing to their assistance. Kelly was made a sergeant 
in the Signal Corps by General Greene. 

A corporal of the Tenth Pennsylvania, single-handed, captured seven 
armed Spanish soldiers near the Luneta battery. He marched them five 
hundred yards to a company commander, where they were disarmed. 

Two nights after the capitulation two hundred armed insurgents attempted 
tc enter Binondo. They encountered a guard of thirty men of the Nebraska 
regiment. This detail disarmed them, arrested them and marched them 
prisoners to headquarters. 




CHAPTER X. 

Downfall of the Capital of the Philippines. 

[|N Saturday, August 13th, the City of Manila surrendered to our 
American forces. From an eye-witness of the thrilling event, we 
furnish the reader with the following graphic account : 

" P^anila is ours. The Stars and Stripes were flung out to 
the breeze this evening on a staff where floated so proudly the banner that 
for 350 years represented Spanish sovereignty in the Philippines. Just as the 
fresh breeze snapped Old Glory straight on the halliards the sun, which had 
been behind cloudj all the week, burst out in a flood of brilliant light, saluting 
the first free flag hoisted ovcr the Philippines in formal recognition of oppres- 
sion's overthrow and freeCom'c onward march. 

" The cheers from land and sea Uiat giccicd tiiv, glorious ensi<^n had 
hardly died away when the guns of Admiral Dewey's flagship, the Olympia 
began roaring out a national salute to the new sovereignty in iW- Philippines. 
The Charleston quickly followed, and then the Raleigh, Concord, Hugh 
McCulloch, Petrel, Boston and Baltimore, and even the little Callao, that 
three months ago boasted allegiance to the flag that has now been supplanted. 

Loud Thunder of Salutes. 

" The bay resounded with the noises of the salutes that clouds of smoke 
rolled from the warships; and except there were no echoing reports of 
bursting shells, the scene was the counterpart of that of the morning when 
the ships were sending the iron hail ashore that brought about the surrender 
of <-he city. The western sky remained clear, and as the sun dropped behind 
the mountains in a blaze of glory its last rays streamed over the warships of 
the envious Germans, kissed the upturned faces and lit up the uncovered 
heads of the United States soldiers reverently watching the ' flag of the free' 
slowly and gracefully waving in its proud place at the close of the first 
evening parade of Americans in Spain's ancient Eastern capital. 

" Manila's fall marks the close of the second step in a campaign that was 
well planned and well carried out. Few mistakes have marred its execution. 
None is chargeable to the navy. Since the first amazing bloodless victory in 
Manila Bay, it had been Admiral Dewey's constant hope to obtain the surren- 
(5er of the city without the sacrifice of a single life. Had his plans been fol- 

167 



168 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

lowed and his counsel heeded that great result might have been attained, but 
the ill-considered haste of the army in advancing cost the lives of a score of 
men in General Greene's brigade, with thrice as many wounded in all the land 
fights. 

"Admiral Dewey was not ready to make his final demand for Manila's 
surrender. The possibility of German interference at the last made him pre- 
fer to await the arrival of the monitor Monadnock before throwing down the 
gauntlet, but he felt that the useless killing of American soldiers must stop. 
So, on Sunday morning, August 7, an ultimatum, so called, v/as sent and 
delivered through Captain Chicester, the senior officer of the British fleet 
here. It reached General Jaudenes, the new captain-general, at 12.30 o'clock. 
Admiral Dewey warned the Spaniards to get all their sick and wounded and 
women and children to places of safety within forty-eight hours. He notified 
them that the Americans would begin the bombardment after that time when- 
ever they pleased without further notice. At the same time Admirol r)ewcy 
notified the neutral fleet that he needed the stretch -f vvater they occupied. 

"Our army was not in a condi'tion <--• attack and was not prepared for 
much resistance, but General Merritt joined Admiral Dewey in the demand 
for the surrender of the city. Neither believed that the Spanish would fight. 
Their m/'ormation was to the effect that there was a split in Manila, one fac 
iion being ready to surrender, while the other was in favor of holding out. 
The American cc nmanders believed that a perfunctory resistance only would 
be made, but both prepared to make a stubborn fight if necessary. 

Parleying for Delay. 

" The ultimatum expired at noon on Tuesday, August 9. On Monday 
afternoon the Spanish requested, through the Belgian Consul, another day 
to remove the non-combatants and the sick and wounded. This was granted. 
M. Andre, the Belgian Consul, had been active in endeavoring to eflect an 
arrangement between the Americans and Spanish to prevent further fighting 
and bloodshed. As soon as the ultimatum was delivered he removed his fam- 
ily to the supply ship Culgoa and stopped there himself. M. Andre reported 
on Tuesday afternoon that the Spaniards were determined to make at least a 
show of resistance. Accordingly the fleet prepared to begin a bombardment 
at noon on Wednesday. 

" On Tuesday morning the neutral fleets left their anchorage and the four 

: English warships, the Immortalite, the flagship; the Iphegenia, Linnet and 

'Swift, and the Japanese cruiser Naniwa came across the bay and anchored 

with our fleet. The German cruisers Irene and Cormoran went to Marweles 

with the ships aboard which the foreign residents had taken refuge. The otbet' 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 169 

German warship?, the flagship Kaiser, the Kaiserin Augusta and the Prinz 

Wilhehii, and the French flagship Bayard and cruiser Pascal moved a httle 

nortli of their old positions and anchored together. Thus America's friends 

and opponents made two distinct groups. It was fine to see the English and 

Japanese warships come among the American vessels while the others sulked 

away by themselves. 

> " On Tuesday afternoon the American ships finished stripping for the 

fight. All the boats except those which were absolutely necessary had been 

sent to the Cavite Navy Yard. All the woodwork that could be spared and 

all other inflammable material were also sent there. Splinter nets were spread, 

guns cleaned and oiled, gear examined and everything inspected. All was 

read}- to clear ship for action in a few minutes. That evening the Concord 

and Petrel crossed the bay and took positions opposite the battery at the 

mouth of the Pasig river. On Wednesday morning both ships cleared for 

action and their crews went to general quarters. Then the Olympia signalled 
'Action postponed.' 

Gunboats and Batteries. 

" General Merritt had found that the army v.'as not ready. In the after- 
noon Admiral Dewey ordered the Concord and Petrel to take positions a mile 
off the breakwater. The gunboats steamed down under the battery of big 
ten-inch rifles on the Luneta, the fashionable promenade of the city, and 
anchored where they could fairly look down into the muzzles of the Spanish 
guns. All the Manila fortifications were in plain view. The artillerymen 
could easily be seen standing about their guns. No effort was made, however, 
to attack our ships or the boats from the flagship bringing provisions. 

" It was reported that the delay was due to the army's lack of prep- 
aration. Finally, Flag Lieutenant Brumby brought word that the ac- 
tion would surely begin this morning. M. Andre had been hard at work in 
the HiCantime with the result that there was a practical certainty that there 
would be no hard fighting. Lieutenant Brumby brought an order that the 
Concord and Petrel were not to fire unless they were attacked. This morning 
the Concord was ordered to resume her ctation opposite the Pasig battery 
and the Petrel was recalled. 

"At 8 45 A. M. the fleet got under way. The Concord took a position 
on the north end of the line, and the monitor Monterey went in close to the 
Luneta battery. The Charleston, Baltimore and Boston went further out to 
engage the same batteries. The Olympia, Raleigh and Petrel took up posi- 
tions opposite Malate with the Callao and McCulloch. 

" The morning was thick and hazy, with frequent heavy rain squally 



170 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

completely hiding everything from view. With great battle flags flying from 
every truck and from mizzen or main gafifs, the American ships prepared to 
enforce the surrender of Spain's richest Eastern possession. At 9.30 o'clock 
the Olympia opened fire from her starboard battery on Malate. Two puffs of 
smoke were followed by two splashes of water near the beach. Both shots 
fell short. Then two booming reports rolled across the bay, starting cheers 
from every ship. 

" The neutral ships immediately got away and prepared to observe thejj 
action. The French and Germans were behind the Concord in such a position 
that Spanish shots at our gunboat flying high were likely to hit them. The 
English flagship and the Iphegenia stood across the bay to their old position 
to get a clearer view of the bombardment. 

" The roar of the Olympia's shots had hardly died away when the Petrel 
opened. The Raleigh followed, and the little Callao, which had steamed close 
inshore, cracked away with her one gun in lively fashion. All the fire was at 
Malate. The first dozen shots fell short, and ic seemed as though this must 
have been intentional. Spanish honor, however, was not satisfied by such 
ineffectual shooting, and there were no signs of surrender. 

Shells Begin to Hit. 

" The practice of our ships soon improved, and shell began falling in the 
Malate fort and along the Spanish intrenchments beyond. The Olympia, 
Raleigh, Petrel and Callao blazed away. The Spanish guns maintained a 
regretful silence. The Pasig and Luneta batteries preserved an unbroken 
silence. The Monterey, with her low free-board, which made her almost invis- 
ible, steamed close inshore, daring the Spaniards to open fire on her, but they 
would not. In the meantime the four ships in action kept up a lively fire for 
a few minutes and then stopped. Then they fired again, and clouds of dirt, 
stone and smoke rose above Malate. It was evident that the five, six and 
eight-inch shells were doing great execution. At times the rain hid the rest 
of the fleet, but the roar of the guns and the rumbling echoes that filled the 
bay showed that the Americans were still at it. 

" Spanish flags flew bravely over Manila. One big fellow fl.aunted his 
red and yellow stripes in the eyes of the Americans as it waved over the 
solitary ten-inch gun in front of the cathedral. 

"At 10.30 o'clock the rain ceased, and the flagship signalled: 'The 
enemy's camp is breaking up ! ' ? 

" Cheerful news was beginning to come, and this news evoked fresh cheers 
along the American line. Our artillery in front of Malate had been doing lively 
work, and it was evident that the Spanish position was completely untenable. 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 171 

"At ia>o o'clock the Olynipia signalled : * Cease firing.' The Callao 
^».y. Xhy much occupied to heed the signal, and kept blazing away. The 
Olympia signalled again, and the Callao stopped firing. Then the flagship 
set the international signal, 'D W H B,' 'vhich translated means, 'surrender.' 
That was a demand for the Spanish to haul down their flags. After a (cvi 
minutes, the Spaniards making no apparent reply, the Olympia signalled : 
' Close up.' The Charleston, Baltimore and Boston, which had been lying 
well out, responded, and it began to look as though there might be serious 
business, after all. 

" At noon, the Spaniards not having replied, the Olympia signalled, ' Do 
you surrender I* ' using the international code, for which an interpreter was 
not necessary. Still there was no reply. Then a launch flying the Belgian 
flag aft, with a flag of truce forward, left the flagship and steamed to Manila. 
In it were M. Andre, Lieutenant Brumby and Lieutenant-Colonel Whittier, 
who were going to consult the Spaniards. Meantime the Spaniards had 
replied to the flagship's signal with the international code letters ' C F L,' 
meaning * A member of Parliament.* The only interpretation to this was 
that the Spaniards wanted to talk, so Admiral Dewey and General Merritt 
sent representatives. 

The Admiral Looks Out for His Men. 

" All of M. Andre's negotiations had been verbal and unofiicial, both 
sides relying entirely upon him for the accuracy of the transmission of their 
messages. After the launch had left the flagship there was a long wait. It 
had been said that Admiral Dewey would rather fight than eat, in spite of the 
famous Mayday delay for breakfast, which delay, in fact, was for tlie purpose 
of restowing ammunition. His action to-day showed this to be wrong. Me 
took advantage of the delay to signal the fleet to go to dinner by watches. 

" The Belgian launch remained at Manila for a long time, the fleet mean- 
time waiting developments anxiously. Finally it started back at full speed, 
taking down the flag of truce soon after it reached the flagship. The Olympia 
at 2 30 P. M. set the signal 'The enemy has surrendered I' which brought 
more cheers from, the fleet. It was all over but the shouting. 

" One hundred and five days ago Admiral Dewey came into Manila Bay. 
Within twelve hours he had destroyed the Spanish fleet of eleven vessels, 
taken Cavite, and had white flags over Manila. It has taken the army over 
three months to arrange to hold what he gained then. Moreover, the delay 
was so great that it needed a great show of force to-day to persuade the 
Spaniards to surrender. 

" As the Belgian launch started toward the Olympia a white flag was 



172 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

hoisted over the Luneta fort. The Spanish flag still flew, however. As soon 
as the surrender was announced two battalions of the Second Oregon Regi- 
ment, who were on a steamer, started ashore. The steamer went close in 
beside the breakwater, on which the troops landed and marched ashore. 
General Merritt had already gone ashore in a small boat. Flag Lieutenant 
Brumby, with the Olympia's biggest flag, went in a small boat to haul down 
the Spanish flag. He took with him two apprentice boys. When they 
reached the stafl" in front of the Cathedral a great crowd of Spaniards 
gathered around tbem. As the Spanish flag came down many men and 
women in the crowd wept. Then Old Glory climbed the staff supplanting 
the yellow and red flag of Spain. 

" An army band that was coming up at the head of the troops marching 
from Camp Dewey happened to start playing the " Star Spangled Banner " 
just at the time the flag was hoisted. This was merely a coincidence, for the 
band was around a corner and could not see the flag-raising. There was 
tremendous cheering by the Americans when the flag rose over the building, 
and it could be heard aboard the ships in the bay. 

Pressing on Toward the City. 

*' The army had been advancing along the shore since soon after the 
firing began. They attacked the Malate fort sharply, two brigades advanc- 
ing in columns. The Spanish replied smartly, and killed eleven Americans 
and wounded thirty-nine. The Spanish fired Mauser volleys. After Malate 
surrendered the Americans kept on toward the city. They marched along 
the beach, and rode and moved along the Luneta. To-night our forces 
occupy Manila completely. 

" After the surrender the Sj^aniards tried to destroy what property they 
could. They burned a small gunboat in the Pasig River and scuttled a tug, 
but Lieutenant Brumby managed to save the latter. So the navy completes 
its Manila campaign without losing a man. The only loss here is the army's, 
and that is very small. Many of the enemy's bullets struck the Callao, but 
she sustained no damage. 

" General Merritt landed with an Oregon company as his escort. All 
saluted when the flag was raised. An Oregon regiment policed the city all 
night, and Oregon men received the surrender of the Spanish arms. The 
Spaniards surrendered with the honors of war. The officers retained their 
side arms. No arrangement has been made concerning the transfer of the 
Bank of Spain. This question has been referred to the government at 
Washington. 

"Throughout Saturday night men kept coming in from the Spanish 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 173 

lines. When the Oregon troops reached the Captain-General's pafacc, where 
General Merritt has made his headquarters, they found the plaza packed with 
Spaniards. Between 6,000 and 7,000 soldiers gave up their arms, which con- 
sisted mostly of Mauser rifles. Twelve thousand stand of arms were taken 
and millions of rounds of ammunition. Enough new Mauser rifles were 
':apturcd to arm most of our regiments. Three magazines were found full of 
powder. 

" Our men advanced in two brigades, General Greene's moving along the 
beach and main road against Malate, while General MacArthur advancec'i 
along the Cingalon road from Pasal. General MacArthur had a hot fight at 
Cingalon. The Astor Battery distinguished itself by its bravery. It lost 
two men killed and several wounded. The batteries shelled the Spanish out 
of a blockhouse on the outer line. The Spaniards then retreated to Cingalon, 
where they hid in houses and behind a barricade, making a stubborn resis- 
tance. The Astor Battery advanced two guns to within seventy-five yards of 
the barricade, and then charged the Spaniards with pistols. 

Hid in Brush and Gardens. 

" After leaving the lines the Spanish made a nasty guerilla right. They 
hid in the brush and in gardens, and shot at Americans as they advanced. 
The Colorado men were the first to reach the wall of the city. Admiral 
Dewey said this morning that negotiations for the surrender of the city had 
been under way for a month. He alone believed that it was possible to 
accomplish the capture of Manila with such slight loss. Generals Merritt and 
Anderson were incredulous, but Admiral Dewey persisted, with the result 
that in all the campaign the navy has not lost a man. 

" General Merritt has issued a proclamation announcing a military 
government for Manila. It is printed in Spanish and extensively circulated. 
It first announces the fact that a state of war has existed between the United 
State and Spain since April. Since the beginning of the war the Spanish 
fleet in the Philippines has been destroyed, Manila is now taken and is in pos- 
session of the army of occupation. 

"The proclamation says that the United States Government has directed 
the eeneral commandinc: to announce that the Americans have not come to 
wage war on the people, but will protect all in their personal and religious 
rights. There will be a military occupation of the island of Luzon, but until 
further notice all laws will continue in effect which relate to personal rights, 
local societies, and crime, unless they conflict with the necessary military 
laws as may be determined by the general commanding. 

"The laws will be administered by the ordinary tribunals and officers 



174 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

who may accept the authority of the United States. Churches and places c> 
rehgious worship will be protected, and also all public properties, works oi 
art and libraries. The people will not be interfered with so long as they pre- 
serve the peace. 

" The proclamation provides for the appointment of a provost marshal, 
whose duty will be fully set forth in the appointing order. Manila and the 
outlying suburbs will be under his control, with sub-districts and sub-provosts 
in charge. They will have charge of arrests for violations of the civil as well 
as the military laws. 

" All ports will be held by the land or naval forces until the United 
States declares them open for the trade of neutral nations on paymen of the 
prescribed rates of duty. 

" Perfect order prevailed in Manila on the evening of the surrender. As 
the Americans marched in, guards were placed around the houses of all 
foreigners in order to prevent their being looted. The insurgents were not 
allowed to take part in the attack upon the city, but were kept in the rear oi 
the Americans. In order to prevent bloodshed they were forbidden to entef 
the city after the surrender unless they were unarmed." 

Following Up the Victory. 

It was announced from Washington that there would be no joint occu- 
pation of Manila by American and insurgent armies. The victory won by 
Dewey's and Merritt's forces, when the Spaniards lost so heavily during a 
sharp attack upon their trenches, and in which victory the insurgents had no 
part, would be followed up. The city, bay and harbor would be held exclu- 
sively by the United State forces under General Merritt. This was deter- 
mined by President McKinley. 

General Merritt had briefly reported the fall of Manila and the capture 
of several thousand Spanish prisoners. The Administration already knew 
this, from press dispatches, as also the facts that many thousand stand of 
arms were captured, and that only a small number of American soldiers fell 
in the battle. But Merritt asked concerning the proposed joint occupation 
of the city, and the President, through Secretary Alger, vetoed the latter plan 
.emphatically. 

The Navy Department received the following report from Admiral 
Dewey of the bombardment and surrender of Manila, his message bearing 
date of Saturday, August 13, the day of the battle : 

" Manila surrendered to-day to the American land and naval forces, after 
a combined attack. A division of the squadron shelled the forts and entrench- 
ments at Malate, on the south side of the city, driving back the enemy, out 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 175 

army advancing from that side at the same time. The city surrendered 
about 5 o'clock, the American flag being hoisted by Lieutenant Brumby. 
About 7000 prisoners were taken. The squadron had no causaltics. None 
of the vessels were injured. On August 7, General Merritt and I formally 
demanded the surrender of the city, which the Spanish Governor General 
refused. « Dewev." 

General Merritt sent further reports to the War Department on August 
19th. Several cablegrams were received from him, the most important of 
which gave the articles of capitulation of the city and defenses of Manila. 
Another message announced that Brigadier-General F. V. Greene had been 
assigned to the military forces in Manila, thus leaving General Merritt free 
for performing the duties as Military Governor. A third message announced 
the casualties which occurred during the assault on Manila. 

The articles of capitulation show that only the city and defenses of Manila 
and its suburbs were included in the surrender. The first dispatches an- 
nounced that the entire Philippines had been included in the articles of 
capitulation. 

Terms of Capitulation. 

The cablegram from General Merritt giving terms of the capitulation of 
Manila is as follows : 

" Hong Kong, Aug. 20.— Adj utant-General, Washington : The following 
are the terms of capitulation: 

" The undersigned, having been appointed a commission to determine 
the details of the capitulation of the city and defenses of Manila and its 
suburbs and the Spanish forces stationed therein, in accordance with agree- 
ment entered into the previous day by Major-General Wesley Merritt, U. S. A., 
American commander-in-chief in the Philippines, and his Excellency, Don 
Fermin Jardenes, acting gencral-in-chicf of the Spanish army in the Philii> 
pines, have agreed upon the following : 

" First. The Spanish troops, European and native, capitulate with the 
city and defences, with all honors of war, depositing their arms in the places 
designated by the authorities of the United States and remaining in the 
Ijuarters designated under the orders of their officers and subject to control 
of the aforesaid United States authorities, until the conclusion of a treaty of 
peace between the two belligerent nations. All persons included in the capi- 
tulation remain at liberty ; the officers remaining in their respective homes, 
which shall be respected as long as they observe the regulations prescribed 
for their government and the laws in force. . 

" 2. Oflficers shall retain their side arms, horses and private property. 



i-J6 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 



M i 



All public horses and public property of all kinds shall be turned over to 
staff officers designated by the United States. 

" 3 Complete returns in duplicate of men in organizations and full lists 
of public property and stores shall be rendered to the United States within 
ten days from this date. 

' 4. All questions relating to the repatriation of officers and mer of the 
Spanish forces and of their families and of the expenses which said repatria- 
tion may occasion shall be referred to the government of the United States 
at Washington. Spanish families may leave Manila at any time convenient 
to them. The return of the arms surrendered by the Spanish forces shall 
take place when they evacuate the city or when the American army evacuates. 

" 5. Officers and men included in the capitulation shall be supplied by 
the United States, according to their rank, with rations and necessary aid as 
though they were prisoners of war, until the conclusion of a treaty of peace 
between the United States and Spain. All the funds in the Spanish treasury and 
all other public funds shall be turned over to the authorities of the United States. 

■"6. This city, its inhabitants, its churches and reJ'gious worship, its 
educational establishments and its private property, of all description, are 
placed under the special safeguard of the faith and honor of the American 
army. (Signed) " F. V. Greene, 

*' Brigadier-General of Volunteers, U. S. A,** 

Additional Particiilars of the Capture. 

Another eye-witness of the capture of Manila furnished some interesting 
particulars of the fight: 

" The Americans moved out of camp early on the morning of August 
13, General Anderson directing the operations. General Greene with the 
left wing swept along upon the trenches before Malate. General MacArthur 
led the right wing with the Astor Battery, which took up a position on the 
right of the Pasig and did gallant work. One instance of this was when a 
Spanish blockhouse was carried by men using their revolvers. The only 
rapid-fire gun on the line was silenced by this gallant advance. 

" Three men of the Astor Battery were killed. The hardest fighting of 
the day was done at a point on the right wing where the guns of the fleet 
under Fighting Dewey conld give no assistance. After the fleet had raked 
the position of Malate, the Colorados, supported by the Eighteenth Regulars 
and the Utah Battery, swept it with the deadliest of fires. The Spaniards 
fell back before the charging Colorados, who followed them closely, giving 
them no rest until the position was ours, and the American flag was raised by 
the Californians. who had been charging with the Colorados. 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 177 

"The Californians, who were subjected to a galling fire from Spanish 
jharpshooters in houses on the right, moved past the Colorados into the 
suburb of Ermita, where Company L, which was leading, engaged in hot 
fighting along Calle Real, where the Spaniards had erected street barricades. 
Once Calle Real was cleared, the attiick was virtually over. About noon a 
white flag was floating over the city walls. The Californians advanced at 
double-quick across Luneta as General Greene and his staff arrived to receive 
the surrender." 

One Hour in Which to Surrender. 

From another trustworthy account we extract the following additional 
details : 

" Admiral Dewey gave General Augusti an hour in which to surrender, 
at the time of the last demand, made on Saturday. General Augusti refused 
to comply. The bombardment, which began at 9.3c a.m., was continued for 
two hours, and then the Americans stormed the trenches, sweeping all before 
them. Those w-ithin the walls attempted no resistance. The First Colorado 
Volunteers stormed the outer trenches and drove the Spaniards into the 
second line of defenses. Then the American troops swept on, driving all the 
Spaniards into the inner fortifications, where the Spanish commander, seeing 
that further resistance was useless, hoisted the white flag and surrendered. 

" The Spaniards in the trenches probably numbered more than the forces 
under General Merritt, and being behind breastworks they had a great ad- 
vantage over our troops. The American attacking force, numbered ten 
thousand, and the Americans were better armed, better trained and in better 
condition. The foreign fleets watched the bombardment with acute interest. 
The American warships engaged were the Olympia, Petrel, Raleigh, McCul- 
loch, Boston, Monterey, Baltimore and Charleston. 

" The Spaniards assert that the fire of the Americans for the most part 
fell short, the only effective fire being from a small gunboat armed with quick- 
firing guns that was close inshore. It is also asserted by the Spaniards that 
' the Americans lost heavy in the storming, owing to the faulty construction 
of their entrenchments, which the Spaniards could command from thci 
heights and upon which they poured a galling fire." 

" The Spanish trench extended around Manila at a distance of from two 
to four miles from the walled city, forming a circle ten miles in circumference, 
and it was impossible, the Spaniards say, to hold so long a line against the 
American attack. Admiral Dewey and General Merritt, it is reported, had 
issued orders to spare all except armed defenses of the city, and consequently 
the town is understood to have been but little damaged. Some street fighting 
12— D 



178 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

between the insurgents and the Spaniards has occurred on the outskirts, bu' 
order prevailed within the walled section." 

The Manila correspondent of the Daily Telegraph telegraphing Saturday 
says : " Nothing could be more humane than the American capture of the 
town. General Merritt and Admiral Dewey's plan was to spare every object 
but the armed defences and the trenches. Apparently the American losses 
were extremely small. The Spanish entrenchments varied in point of dis- 
tance from two to four miles from the centre of Old Manila. 

" Defending this long line of at least ten miles were not over 12,000 
Spanish regular troops, volunteers and natives. About half that number 
were in hospital. The attacking force numbered several thousand natives 
and nearly 10,000 Americans, on shore and aboard the fleet, tue advantage 
being on the side of the attacking party. 

" The American field guns threw heavier metal and had longer range 
than the Spanish, the marksmanship of the United States gunners was much 
superior to that of the Spaniards, and the men were stronger and in better 
condition. The Spaniards are a small race compared with their stalwart 
opponents, and, worn out by a hundred days' siege and disappointed by the 
failure to arrive of the promised Spanish relief squadron, they had lost heart. 
It was a hopeless struggle. 

Foreign Ships in the Harbor. 

" Looking over the bay it was curious to notice the foreign fleets arrange 
themselves according to their sympathies. The English and Japanese were 
near the Americans and the Germans and French on the opposite sides of the 
bay north of the Pasig river. The British cruiser Immortalite and her con- 
sorts kept fairly near the American line. The attacking squadron formed 
in line between Malate and Old Manila, with the Concord watching the fort 
at the mouth of the Pasig. The American fleet lay outside the breakwater. 

" The Olympia fired the first shot at 9.40, and a fairly continuous, but h^^ 
no means furious, cannonade was kept up until 11.20. By that time the 
Malate Fort was silenced, and the American troops then stormed the intrench- 
ments. The Spaniards who were in the earthworks tell me that the quick- 
firing guns of the little gunboat Rapido, which lay close to the shore, were 
far more terrible in their effects than was the raking fire of the ships. 

" Resistance to the American attack was impossible. The first Colorado 
Regiment was the earliest to charge the Spaniards, who retired to the second 
line, but soon outnumbered, they were forced into the old city. A part of 
Malate suffered severely from the bombardment. The vaunted intramures 
defenses were not triot. 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. A79 

" The Spanish commander, convinced that further resistance was hope- 
less, hoisted a wiiitc flag at 1. 30, and the order to cease firing was immediately 
issued in the centre of the town, but in the outskirts street fighting continued 
for some time afterwards between the rebels and Spaniards. The only fear 
felt in the city is in regard to the conduct of the insurgents. As I write this 
in the house of the German Consul a brisk fusillade is going on between the 
combatants, and musketry fire is rattling all around. 

" The achievements of our army and navy at Manila occasioned a great 
amount of comment among all the nations of the globe. The remarkable 
shooting of the American gunners opened the eyes of the naval men of 
Europe. It convinced the nations that after all it is the man behind the gun, 
and not the thickness of ai-mor or the estimated horse power of the engines 
that comprises the chief defense of a ship in a naval fight. It is no new thing 
for England to get in a state of verging on panic at the condition of her navy, 
says the Military Naval Record. Periodically a furious onslaught is made on 
the naval experts and admiralty officials by some member of Parliament or 
cranky taxpa)'er, and the whole country trembles at the idea of its naval 
strength having been over-estimated or willfully misrepresented. 

Periodical Scares are Useful. 

"These scares are useful, for they usually have some foundation in fstct, 
and serve to draw out columns of newspaper articles and correspondence-, 
which in the end result in improvement and the allaying of the chronic fear 
of the taxpayers that they are footing huge bills and are getting nothing stable 
for the defense of the empire. 

" A new scare owed its origin to the remarkable accuracy and deadliness 
of the American gunners. Britons were comparing the records made at 
Manila with the scoring during the practice fire of the British crews, and were 
asking with a good deal of feverish apprehension where their own gunners 
come in. This started a mass of correspondence and special articles on the 
subject of naval gunnery and naval training, and the subjects of the Queen 
were learning to their dismay that very little, if any, importance was attached 
to the training of the gunners of what was supposed to be the first navy in 
the world. Among the numerous contributions on the subject the most start- 
ling was that of a prominent naval officer, who knows whereof he speaks, and 
whose clear cut statements caused a sensation. 

"According to this authority, the gunnery practice in her Majest}-'s navy 
is regarded rather more as a necessary evil than as a duty that, for the good 
of the service, should be of first-place importance. Here is his calm state- 
ment regarding the gunnery practice in the royal navy : 



.80 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

' It is a usual thing for the signal to be made^ * Spread for target prac- 
6ce ; rejoin by such and such a time/ the consequence being the practice is 
♦arried out in a hurried, panicky way, without sufficient supervision or cor- 
recting of errors made, in order to ' get it over.' Who has not heard some- 
thing hke the following : ' Why don't you fire that gun ? ' ' Can't see the 
target, sir.' ' Never mind that ; fire at the splash.' Bang ! And away goes 
pounds and pounds of the unfortunate ratepayer's money into the sea. 

" The allowance of ammunition is very small, only eight rounds a quar- 
ter being allowed for such guns as a 4.7 or 6-inch quick firing gun, ten rounds 
for the lighter quick firing, and four rounds for the 12-inch wire and upward. 
The allowance for the heavy quick firing represents four rounds each for Nos. 
I and 2, or less than a minute's firing once every three months. If, in addi- 
tion, this allowance is exceeded when prize firing (when the number of rounds 
fired in the two minutes allowed is unlimited), the amount fired in excess of 
the allowance has to be deducted from the next quarter's allowance, or sup- 
pose a smart 4.7 gun's crew fire sixteen rounds which they should do in two 
minutes, they get no more practice for six months, which is, as Euclid would 
say, absurd. 

Long Practice Required. 

" Out of the ten rounds allowed for the light firing guns has to come the 
amount fired from these guns in boats, likewise the amount fired in night 
practice, which leaves about four rounds for No. i to fire at his quarter's 
practice. It is, to say the least of it, hard to train a man to pick up his range 
quickly, and keep it on such allowance, which might well be doubled; and, if 
expended in an intelligent way, the increased proficiency would well repay 
the extra expense in wear and tear of ammunition. The four rounds per 
heavy turret gun give four rounds to the captain of the turret and two to the 
captain of each gun, no other man of the turret's crew getting a chance. 

" In addition to the ammunition proper, however, the admiralty allows an 
immense amount of tube cannon ammunition, which is intended for the indi- 
vidual instruction of untrained or partially trained men, and should be expended 
as such. It is, however, too frequently fired at the same time as the heavy gun 
practice takes place, with every available tube going at once, for the same old 
story, to ' get it done.' The range suitable for heavy gun practice is, of course, 
quite out of the range for tube cannon, while Irom the number of guns going 
Sit once no man can see what his shots are doing, and individual supervision 
becomes impossible ; the result is a man comes up to his gun, blazes away his 
ten rounds or so with a fixed sight, which is probably wrong, and departs as 
wise as he started. 

" If the admiralty and admirals inspecting paid any attention to the 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 181 

gunnery efficiency of the ships in commission they would compel the captains 
ant! officers to develop that efficiency to the utmost of their' power, and 
establish a healthy rivalry. At present in the Mediterranean far more trouble 
and time are expended on filling the chase of a gun bright and burnishing it 
(which is absolutely contrary to regulations) than to insuring that the men 
are well trained in the use of it." 

, These criticisms were severe enough, but the officer quoted went even 
further. He declared that returns of the practice at the targets were " fudged," 
or, in other words, the figures were given as first class, when in reality the 
practice had been abominable, thus deceiving the admiralty officials and 
giving the British public an entirely erroneous idea of the skill of their sea- 
men gunners. 

It would be thought that such a suggestion as that crews sent out to 
practice with small guns at points distant from the ship, throw the ammuni- 
tion overboard to save the trouble of firing it, and return to the ship with the 
report that so many points had been made, would not be put forward in sober 
earnest, but a writer actually states gravely that " he does not think this is 
done now," but he goes on to say that the ammunition might almost as well 
be thrown overboard as used in the way it is for practice in the royal navy 

to-day. 

The First Hit May Win the Action. 

To sum up the matter in the language of the expert referred to, after 
viewing the great victory at Manila, he says : 

" It cannot be denied that the ship that gets in the first hit stands a 50 
per cent, better chance of winning the action than when she started ; a ship 
that could make certain of 50 per cent, hits under ordinary conditions of 
weather at a range of 2,500 yards, and inside, could cheerfully engage three 
mobilized vessels with scratch crews." 

The following additional details of the fighting before Manila, are furnished 
by a correspondent who was on the ground, in fact was at the front, and was 
an eye-witness of what he describes : 

" The insurgents make war in such an original and interesting W2.y that 
a v'sit to the front of their lines is well worth the time and trouble, as well as 
slight danger. At this writing I am only 250 yards from the Suanish 
trenches, behind which 1 000 men are stationed, armed with the best Mauser 
rifles. 'Ping' just went a bullet through the foliage overhead. 'Ping.' 
■ P'"g.' ' ping.' go three more in succession, one striking the limb of a white 
gum tree about three feet over our heads. These shots made us realize thr 
danger of exposing ourselves to the Spanish sharpshooters, and yet showed 
that if we kept behind the earthworks we were comparatively safe. 



182 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

" As we approached the advanced line of the insurants a young boy, 
passing along the road, which we were about to take, was shot through the 
hand with a Mauser bullet, which had nearly spent its force, but made a 
wicked wound and lodged against a bone of the fingers. Some one sug- 
gested that the Spaniards had seen us from the walls of the fort and were 
getting our range, so without further argument we hurried up the road to the 
next and last barricade. This stretch of highway, the main one leading out 
of Manila, is really dangerous for passersby. 

" When we came up to the last barricade we found in a bunch of thick 
bamboos a bastion, erected by the insurgents for the use of big guns in bom- 
barding the forts. From the hidden top of this, about eight feet above the 
level of the ground, we could plainly make out the Spanish trenches, directly 
in front of us, with rifle barrels barely projecting above the earth and occa- 
sionally a hat in outline as a man moved from one spot to another. 

Old Fort and Magazine. 

" Behind this, about lOO yards, was the old stone fort and magazine, from 
the embrasured top of which a few cannons protruded. The trenches ran at 
right angles to the road, along which we had come, and across an open field 
in a grove of bamboos and then across another spread of meadow land to a 
fringe of trees on the shore of the bay, finally ending on the beach, where a 
big barricade of canoes, filled with sand, made an adequate protection. 

" Although warned by the general, Mariano Noriel, and his lieutenant- 
colonel, Juan Cailles, who had kindly accompanied us up to the last danger 
point, that we would surely be fired upon by the Spaniards if we crossed the 
open fields without wading in the trenches, half-filled with the water of 
recert rains, we braved the supposed danger and reached the fringe of woods 
on the bay side without apparently being seen. 

" Before we left we made a careful survey with our glasses of the Spanish 
lines and forts, so that we could report in full to Admiral Dewey and General 
Anderson what we had seen. Up to this time no naval or military officer of 
the United States has made this trip, and hence we are able to make the first 
reliable report. 

" To my mind it would seem that the best and only thing for the 
Spaniards to do as a matter of warfare would be to send a party of 200 men 
around on the flank, and, surprising the insurgents, gather them in as pris- 
oners, or shoot them in their tracks. As this letter will in all probability not 
teach America and be published until the fate of Manila is settled, I am at 
iberty to discuss these points. 

*' On the other hand, the rebels fight so bravely when attacked that the 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. UZ 

Spaniards arc afraid to fight them except on the defensive. The men we 
meet in the trenches are mild in appearance, polite in manner and gentle in 
Tiovemcnt, but, I understand, skillful wielders of the bolo or native knife at 
close quarters and not bad marksmen with rifles when trained. When I 
questioned General Noriel about methods of fighting he said that he 
instructed his men not to waste their ammunition and fire only when the» 
could do some damage." 

General MacArthur's Report. 

The report of Major-General Arthur MacArthur, who commanded tnc 
First Brigade, Second Division, Eighth Army Corps, on the day of the battle 
of Manila, gives some interesting details of the fight. Following are some 
extracts : 

"Several hours before the operations of the day were intended to com- 
mence there was considerable desultory firing from the Spanish line, both o/ 
cannon and small arms, provoked no doubt by Filipino soldiers, who insisted 
upon maintaining a general fusillade along their lines. Their fire was not 
returned by our troops, and when the formation of the day was commenced 
things at the front were comparatively quiet. 

" By 8 o'oclock the position was occupied, about 9.35 the naval attack 
commenced, and some twenty minutes thereafter the gun of Battery B, Utta 
Artiller>% opened on Blockhouse 1 4, the guns of the Astor Battery having 
engaged an opposing battery some minutes after the opening of the naval 
attack. There was no reply from the blockhouse or contiguous lines, either 
by guns or small arms. The opposition to the Astor fire, however, was quite 
energetic; but after a spirited contest the opposition, consisting probably of 
two pieces, was silenced. 

"This contest was the only notable feature of the first stage of the action 
and was ^specially creditable to the organization engaged. The position, 
selected by Lieutenant March, after careful personal reconnoissance, was pei- 
haps the only one possible in the vicinity, and it was occupied with great 
skill and hold with commendable firmness, the battery losing three men 
wounded, one of whom has since died. 

" At about 1 1.20 a United St.tes flag was placed upon Blockhouse 14. 
thus concluding the second stage of the action without opposition and with- 
out loss. 

"The general advance was soon resumed. At a point just south of 
Singalong a blockhouse was found burning, causing a continuous explosion 
of small arms ammunition, which together with a scattering fire from the 
tnemy, retarded the advance for a time. All difficulties were soon ovrrccmc, 



184 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

however, including the passage of the Aster Battery, by the determined 
efforts of Lieutenant March and his men, assisted by the infantry of the Min- 
nesota Regin >ent over the gun emplacement which obstructed the road. 

" In the village of Singalong the advance fell under a loose fire, the 
intensity of which increased as the forward movement was pressed, and very 
soon the command was committed to a fierce combat. The strong opposi- 
tion ar©se at Blockhouse 20, of the Spanish defenses. 

" The advance party, consisting of men of the Minnesota Regiment, 
reinforced by volunteers from the Astor Battery, led by Lieutenant March 
and Captain Sawtelle, of the brigade staff, as an individual volunteer, reached 
a point within less than eighty yards of the blockhouse, but was obliged to 
retire to the intersecting road in the village, at which point a hasty work was 
improvised and occupied by a firing line of about fifteen men. Aside from 
conspicuous individual actions in the first rush, the well-regulated conduct of 
this firing line was the marked feature of the contest, and it is proposed, i( 
possible, to ascertain the names of the men engaged with a view to recom- 
mend them for special distinction. 

"At about 1.30 P. M. all firing had ceased, and two scouting parties 

voluntarily led by Captain Sawtelle and Lieutenant March soon thereafter 

reported the retreat of the adversary. The city was entered without further 

incident." 

Details of the Surrender. 

From another account of the capture of Manila we gather the following 
additional particulars : " The Second Oregon patrolled the walled city and 
guarded its nine entrances. General Greene marched his brigade around the 
walled city into Binondo. The First California was sent east to the fashion- 
able official residence district of Malacanay, the First Colorado was sent into 
Tondo, and the First Nebraska was established on the north shore of the Pasig 
River ; MacArthur's brigade patrolled Ermita and Malate. 

" In the walled city the Spaniards had surrendered their arm.s at the 
governor's palace. By nightfall over 7,000 rifles had been surrendered, and 
by the following eveninr nearly 1,000 more were turned in. The big Ameri- 
can flag was hoisted by Lieutenant Brumby, and as the Oregonians entered 
from the Kwonghoi the afternoon of the fight i^heir band struck up ' The 
Star Spangled Banner.' The women wept as the Spanish ensign went down, 
and the soldiers cheered as the American flag went up. 

" The night of the battle was quiet. Except for a few cases reported of 
'the insurgents looting the houses of Spaniards, there was no disorder. The 
American soldiers at once began to fraternize with the Spanish soldiers 
Terms of capitulation were agreed upon promptly between American and 



DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 185 

Spanish commanders, and the occupation of the Spanish capital of the Phihp- 
pines was complete. 

"General Merritt's first great task after that of safely transporting an 
army across the Pacific was accomplished. His own report is but a just 
appreciation of the excellence of the work done by his men. Its expressions 
of approval are no warmer than those given to General Merritt himself by 
those who know his work. It closed as follows : 

" Immediately after the surrender the Spanish colors on the sea front 
were hauled down and the American flag displayed and saluted by the guns 
of the navy. The Second Oregon Regiment, which had proceeded by sea 
from Cavite, was disembarked and entered the walled town as a provost 
guard, and the colonel was directed to receive the Spanish arms and deposit 
them in places of security. The town was filled with the troops of the enemy 
driven in from the entrenchments, regiments formed and standing in line in 
the streets, but the work of disarming proceeded quietly and nothing unpleas- 
ant occurred. 

Warm Praise for Our Soldiers. 

" In leaving the subject of the operations of the 13th I desire here to 
record my appreciation of che admirable manner in which the orders for 
attack and the plan for occupation of the city were carried out by the troops 
exactly as contemplated. I submit that for troops to enter under fire a town 
covering a wide area, to rapidly deploy and guard all principal points in the 
extensive suburbs, to keep out the insurgent forces pressing for admission, to 
quietly disarm an army of Spaniards more than equal in number to the 
American troops, and finally by all this to prevent entirely all rapine, pillage, 
and disorder, and gain entire and complete possession of a city of 300,000 
people filled with natives hostile to the European interests, and stirred up by 
the knowledge that their own people were fighting in the outside trenches, 
was an act which only the law-abiding, temperate, resolute American soldier, 
well and skillfully handled by his regimental and brigade conmianders, could 
accomplish." 

The American army was encamped where most available for service in 
the event of any sort of an uprising or other emergency call. The command- 
ing general assigned various officers of his staff to civic duties in the organiza- 
tion of a new regime. Spaniards, Americans and Filipinos dwelt side by side 
in a measure of peace and harmony. Major-General Merritt issued a pro- 
clamation to the people informing them that his intention was to protect them 
in all their rights. There remained only the necessity of waiting for peace 
to be declared to end all difficulties. But the Filipinos were yet to be reck- 
oned with. 



186 DOWNFALL OF MANILA. 

Major-General Wesley Merritt's selection as commander-in-chief of the 
"fhilippines expedition and governor-general of the Philippine Islands was 
u.2iversally approved. In the Civil War they called General Merritt a " boy 
brigadier." This was because of his youth, of course, and the title was 
never applied with a sneer, for Merritt was understood to be brave and capa- 
ble from the day he was graduated at West Point. There were three others 
in the Union army who were also called " boy brigadiers " — Custer, McKenzie 
and Upton — and they were often referred to as the " youthful quartette." 

In the Civil War General Merritt began as adjutant of the Second Dra- 
goons, under Colonel Philip St. George Cook. Just before the Battle of 
Gettysburg, because of his quick military perception and thorough knowledge 
of the cavalry arm, he was made a brigadier-general of volunteers. General 
Sheridan later was well pleased with the nerve, dash and courage of the boy 
brigadier, and the two became close personal and military friends. At Win- 
chester Merritt fought a division under Sheridan's eye, so to speak, and fought 
so well that Sheridan recommended the brevet of major-general, which was 
promptly allowed. From that time till the close of the war he was one of the 
busiest and most successful fighters in the Union army, and he came out a 
full major-general of volunteers. 

Afte:^ the war he served in the Department of Texas, and later in the 
military Division of the Gulf. In 1866 he was mustered out of the volunteer 
service and made lieutenant-colonel of the Ninth Cavalry. He was afterward 
busy fighting Indians and on other duties. In 1895 he became a major- 
general of the Regular Army. 



CHAPTER XI. 




Capture of the City of Manila by Admiral Dewey and 

General Merritt. 

WO weeks after the fight in the trenches at Malate, or to be exact,| 
on Saturday, August 13th, Manila surrendered, before either the' 
American or Spanish commanders had received any news of the 
peace protocol. This fact was to figure afterwards in the peace 
negotiations. For an hour, Admiral Dewey bombarded the city, while the 
army under General Mer- 
ritt, drove the enemy into 
the town. The story of 
the day is graphically told 
in the following extract 
from a letter written by a 
staff oflRcer, who was very 
active in the advance, to 
his wife, giving her an 
account of his personal 
doings. 

It gives also a ver}'- 
clear picture of the work 
done by our men, of th: 
way in which the city vv^a 
entered, and of the man- 
ner in which the insur 
gents were dealt with. It 
recounts the observations 
as well as the acts of a 
trained army officer, who, 
as aide to General Greene, 
was obliged to go over very much of the ground, and was therefore in posi- 
tion to see probably more of the day's work than any other one man : 

"Two days before I had made my reconnoissance of the position in out 
front and accurately located the cannon in the defences. One of them pointed 
directly up the beach on the edge of the bay, and this one we were unable to 
see with glasses on the morning of the bombardment. \s General Babcock 
was wondering whether it was still there, I offered to go down and again re- 

187' 





GENEK.\L WESLEY .MKRKITT. 



188 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

connoitre the position to ascertain with certainty vhether the c&nnon ha<i 
been removed. I started down the beach, concealing myself in the brush on 
the way, and had approached nearly to the river, when the bombardment 
suddenly opened from the ships. All the shells fell short, and as they struck 
the water they ricocheted and whistled over my head in such number that I 
was compelled to retreat about lOO yards in order to get out of the line of 
fire. A slight lull then ensued in the firing, and I returned to my former 
position, not having had a chance to use my field-glasses while there first. 

" A second time the ships opened fire, and the shells, again falling short, 
drove me from my position, but I returned a third time and finished the re- 
connoissance, then ran back to our trenches, reporting to General Babcock 
that the gun had been removed. I also made this report to General Greene, 
and he said : ' No, you are mistaken ; the gun is still there. I can see from 
here about eight feet of it,' and he pointed out the place to me. Raising my 
glasses, I thought, sure enough, there is the gun. On our arrival at the 
trench,' however, after the assault, I found the gun General Greene and I 
thought we saw was a bent piece of corrugated iron lying in such a fashion 
on top of the trench as to closely resemble a cannon a thousand yards away. 
" During the early part of the bombardment I climbed to a site on the 
flat tin roof of a white house, through which our trench ran, and from there 
could plainly see and report to the gunners the effect of the shots from our 
three 2-inch rifles, which were being served by the Utah Light Battery. They 
did excellent shooting and much execution on the fort, but the principal 
damage was done by two large-sized shells landed square in the fort by gun- 
ners from the fleet. They created havoc and must have killed and wounded 

many Spaniards. . , „, 

Race for a Spanish Flag. 

" Seeing two companies of the Colorado regiment ordered to advance 
from the trenches, I hastily descended and joined them. After advancing 
about a hundred yards or so this line concealed itself behind good cover to 
await the bombardment from the ships to grow less dangerous. Pretty soon, 
however, we were ordered to advance, and I, accompanied by three citizens, 
led the line through the brush. We stopped once more about 350 yards 
from the enemy's position and fired a number of volleys. We then made a 
rush across the mouth of a small river which separated us from the powder 
magazine at Malate. We then stopped on the further side of the stream, the 
men lying down behind cover, and very shortly the rest of the Colorado regi, 
ment began to advance in our rear in support. 

" As we neared the fort I was anxious to be the first to arrive and take 
down the Spanish ([.ig as a trophy for you; so when the advance began 



\ 



SURRENDER OE MANILA. 189 

again I, accompanied by the three citizens, rushed forward in advance of the 
line, but it halted again, and the Colonel called us buck, as he desired to fire 
some volleys before approaching nearer. We reluctantly returned to the 
rear of the line, which just at that time began another advance, and the Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of the regiment (McCoy) ran ahead of his line, and getting 
the start of me beat mc into the fort and secured the flag for his regiment. 

" As I ran up on the parapet I noticed a very pretty little trumoet lying 
on the bed in a small room and I seized that and several machetes (called 
bolas by the natives here) as trophies. Lying under a small nipa shed be- 
hind the fort was a poor Spaniard badly wounded in the head and still 
breathing. I called hmi to the attention of the first hospital corps man I 
saw and continued in rapid advance with the line. 

" As we proceeded from the fort back to a building which had been oc- 
cupied as a barracks by the officers, we came under such a heavy fire from the 
enemy that the men took to the trenches and stopped to return the fire. I 
kept on to the house and there captured some valuable papers, among them 
one document which earned for a small native boy a reward of $25, a fee I 
had promised him on the contingency that certain information he gave me 
should be found to be correct. This was a very bright boy who came into 
my camp several weeks ago peddling cigars. He said that his father was an 
American who had now left the country and he was living withhis mother, 
a native woman, in Manila, 

Some Lively Firing. 

" He spoke Spanish fluently, and so I questioneo him to know if he 
thought he could bring me certam information I was desirous of obtaining. 
He thought he could, and returning to Manila, came back in four days with 
just what I wanted. I paid him liberally, and then sent him again to count 
the number of Spaniards who served in the trench immediately in our front. 
He came back with a report that there were seven trenches, served by about 
fifty Spaniards each, with a certain number of guns. Knowing the trench 
was a continuous one, I considered his information valueless and thought he 
was trying to play a native trick on me, so paid him nothing. When I cap- 
tured the paper I discovered that the Spaniards themselves had divided thisj 
continuous trench into seven parts, numbering them from one to seven, and 
that the regular garrison of these trenches was as the boy had .stated, about 
fifty men each. Why they should so divide a continuous trench I cannot 
see, but they did. The number of cannon he had reported was exactly right. 

" While I was at this house there was considerable skirmishing between 
our men and the enemy, and a poor fellow of the Colorado regiment was shot 



190 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

in the neck as he stood near me and has since died. Hearing some Mauser 
rifles popping behind a wall I got a Captain of the California regiment to 
have his men hold their guns at arm's length above the wall and discharge 
them into the yard beyond to drive the Spaniards away. They were making 
it uncomfortably waim for men on our side who were approaching along the 
beach from the rear. The California regiment at this point passed the Colo- 
rado regiment and took the advance. Joining the California regiment I 
proceeded down the street with it and saw Sam Widdifield's squad (he is a 
corporal) very gallantly advance on the run and drive some Spaniards out of 
a yard who ha^ been firing on our men approaching on the left. 

** Engleskjon, General Babcock's orderly, had gone back for our horses, 
which we left in the rear, but not being able to wait I borrowed a captured 
horse and soon wore him out carrying messages for General Babcock and 
General Greene. All this time I was galloping around the streets of Malate 
(that suburb of Manila through which we were then advancing) in which our 
men were skirmishing with the enemy. I requested Colonel Smith of the 
California regiment to leave a small guard over every house flying the Eng- 
lish flag, which he did. The English have been very friendly to us in this 
war, and I wanted to see the compliment returned. 

Insurgents Open Fire. 

** I returned and reported to General Greene for duty. He immediately 
directed me to ride to the front, and, selecting a patrol of ten men from the 
California regiment, to advance upon the walled city, reconnoitre it and see 
whether they would fire on me. As Engleskjon just then returned With my 
horse I got on it, and taking him with me we galloped to the front to make 
the reconnoissance ; but just as we came out on the Lunetta, an open space 
between the walled city and Malate, one company of the Twenty-third Infantry 
debouched from Malate along the beach and the First Battalion of the Cali- 
fornia regiment came out of the streets of Malate onto this open space. I 
followed them, and before we reached the walls of the city we observed a white 
flag flying on its corner. They marched to the street which encircles the 
wall, called the Calle de Bagumbayan, and there halted. 

"As soon as we had seen the white flag I had sent Engleskjon to report 
the fact to General Greene, and after we had advanced to the foot of the wall 
I returned myself and reported to him that the enemy had ceased firing 
General Greene's orders required him to march around the waUed city and 
take possession of the suburbs across the river on the other side. Before 
starting back myself I directed the halted troops, by his order, to move about 
a half mile around toward the river and then halt to await further orders 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. llil 

from him. They did move down opposite the road which leads up to the 
walled city from a small town in the country called Santa Ana. It had bed 
our whole plan entirely to prevent the insurgents from getting into the city, 
in order to protect the inhabitants and houses against their looting propensi- 
ties, but at Santa Ana a number of insurgents, seeing the Spanish falling back, 
had been too quick for our troops and had approached the walled city from 
that direction. 

" Coming up within rifle range they began to fire indiscriminately at our 
troops (who had halted between them and the Spaniards) ana at the Spaniards 
behind them. This caused the Spaniards to return the fire and f^r a few 
minutes here stood our helpless troops (four companies of the California regi- 
ment) between two fires, knowing there had been an error and powerless to 
correct it. They deserve much credit for being cool enough not to return the 
fire on either party, for such an action might have precipitated what could 
have been nothing but a bloody and useless carnage. 

" During this firing three men were wounded and one shot in the head 
so badly that he died soon afterward. The others were not severely wounded, 
one being shot in the shoulder and the other shot in the hand. 1 myself after- 
ward helped to dress the wound of the one shot in the hand, as no physician 
was near at the time, all being occupied with wounded in the rear. All the 
men carried on their persons small packages of emergency dressings, and now 
I hope you will never again say that that little package of emergency dress- 
ing which I have been carrying to your discomfort in my grip and trunk for 
ten years is a nuisance and useless. 

Greene Enters the Oity. 

" When I reported to General Greene and he galloped to the front, fol- 
lowed by his staff and myself, and as we were crossing the Lunetta, a number 
of shots were fired at us from Mauser rifles by Spaniards concealed in native 
huts off to the right of the open space from which our men had previously 
advanced. I think these were native soldiers in the service of the Spaniards, 
who had been cut off by our rapid advance and were trying to make their 
;vay into the city. They had been pressed pretty hard by the columns which 
had advanced through the streets of Malate which were furthest away from 
the beach, but they had been unable to fall back as fast as our men had ad- 
vanced along the beach and that street which was nearest the beach. 

" General Greene rode up to the wall and had a consultation with an 
official who came forward to meet him near its corner. Then we turned to 
the right and started along the Calle de Bagumbayan to go around the city. 
When we reached that gate of the wall which enters from the road to Paco 



192 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

we met a number of mounted Spanish officials, whom General Greene stopped 
to interview. They brought a request that he enter the city to see the Captain- 
General, and accompanied by his Adjutant-General, Captain Bates, and by 
Dr. Bourns as an interpreter, he went into the city, leaving us to await his 
return. 

"The men were halted, and while resting on their arms freely talked with 
the conquered Spaniards. It is very strange how soon soldiers of opposing 
sides will affiliate with each other after one side has given up. While General 
Greene v/as in the city, General Anderson and General Babcock arrived and 
soon afterward General Greene came out of the city and had a conference with 

these two generals. 

insurgents Pulled Up Short. 

"We then resumed our progress around the walled city, and having 
reached another road leading into the city from Santa Ana, A^e found another 
gang of insurgents in our way, whom General Greene directed two companies 
to force out of the road on to another street, so as to let his command pass 
by. One man with a red sash tied around his shoulders and very much ex- 
cited was haranguing the crowd, and when directed to move his men into the 
side street by Dr. Bourns, who spoke to him in Spanish, pursuant to General 
Greene's orders, he said : * No, we are not going anywhere. We are going 
into the walled city. That's what we came for, and that's what we are going 

to do.' 

" I jumped off my horse and pulling my pistol out, shook it in his face 
and told Dr. Bourns to say to him that if he wanted trouble he could have it 
right off, but if he didn't want trouble he had better move his men where 
ordered to, and move them damned quick. He suddenly became very polite, 
and with many salaams, said ' Si, si, senor.' In the meantime two companies 
had marched up to the side of the insurgents, and, wheeling into line in front 
of them, pressed them out of our way back into the side street. Then the 
insurgents went back that street and approached from another direction, but 
were headed off by Colonel Smith of the First California, to whom I carried an 
order to force tbem back across a bridge over the river and hold them there. 

" General Greene sent me with a battalion across the Puente de Espafia, 
the main and principal bridge leading from the corner of the walled city over 
into the suburbs of Binondo and Tondo. On coming back he sent me with 
another battalion across the bridge leading into Quiapo. Returning from this 
duty, I informed him there was another bridge just above the one leading to 
Quiapo, and he sent me back with orders to direct Colonel Smith to guard 
that bridge also. Returning to General Greene, I again got a message to 
carry to the colonel of the Nebraska regiment, who was awaiting oniers in 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 198 

the rear, and bringing him up to the front, I accompanied General Greene and 
his staff until all the troops were posted in positions to guard the principal 
buildings of the towns and all the main approaches into the outskirts, so that 
the insurgents could be prevented from entering and looting the place. This 
they were very keen to do. 

Hot Work for General MacArthur. 

"All this time, while General Greene's brigade was fighting through the 
city and afterward posting itself for protection against the insurgents, General 
MacArthur's brigade, which had entered the outskirts of the city to the right 
and rear of ours, had been fighting near Santa Ana, Concordia, Paco and 
Cmgalon with Spanish skirmishers, and following up in our rear to take the 
positions on the outskirts abandoned by our troops, in order to prevent the 
insurgents from followmg in our rear. A portion of his command had rather 
a tough fight near Concordia, and lost in about five minutes several men 
killed and fifteen or twenty wounded. He, however, succeeded in cutting off 
all but a few of the insurgents, who slipped in too quick for him at Santa Ana. 

"All along the north side of the town extending from Santa Ana, around 
in a northerly direction to the bay at Malabon, near Caloocan, the Spanish 
held their positions and did not fall back ; so we took up our positions in 
their rear, and although they had surrendered they were not relieved from 
duty in these trenches until four o'clock on the following afternoon. I don't 
suppose there ever was another case on record where two armies opposed to 
each other fought out their differences and agreed to a plan to join hands for 
the protection of a helpless population against the evil propensities of a third 
armed party. 

" The following day General Greene sent me to make a reconnoissance 
and report on the Spanish line extending from Santa Ana around northward, 
and the Spanish still being in these trenches, I came in contact with all of 
them. All the officers appeared very friendly and not resentful, except one, 
a Colonel Carbo, who was a fire-eating Spaniard and Colonel of the Guias 
Rurales. He was very theatrical in his manner and objected to surrendering 
as he did, stating that he much preferred fighting to the death for his beloved 
country. 

" That evening late, as I was returning from my duty, I found a drunken 
American soldier on the street with a rock in his hand, having an altercation 
with three or four Chinamen who were trying to keep him out of their house. 
They complained that he wanted to drink the alcohol out of their shellac. 
They were dealers in oils, paints, varnishes, shellac, etc. He was accompanied 
by a citizen who spoke English and said he was an Englishman, but I think 
13-D 



194 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

he was probably a discharged American soldier who had remained with the 
command. He also was drunk. I asked him if he was a soldier and he said 
no, so I arrested the soldier he was with and ordered the citizen to move on 
and go about his business. He followed me up, abusing me for arresting the 
soldier, and I again went back and drove him away, saying that I would arrest 
him, too, if I had any more trouble with him. 

" I delivered the soldier to the guard, and as I was turning away I encoun- 
tered the citizen again coming to the rescue of the soldier. My Irish was 
then up and I started for him, but he ran away. I soon overtook him and 
arrested him, but he resisted, and I struck him over the head with my pistol, 
which cut his scalp and made the blood flow freely. He then accompanied 
me to the guard. He had told me that ' no damned American officer could 
arrest him because he was an English citizen,' and I concluded that it was best 
for the community that this erroneous impression should be removed. 

" Here is an incident of the entrance into Manila which I forgot to relate. 
While I was advancing down the streets of Malate with the California regi- 
ment some Mauser rifle shots were heard from a small building between the 
Calle Real and the beach. About a dozen California men rushed into the 
yard in which the building was situated, and, kneeling down, pumped a rain 
of bullets into the house. I turned away to another place where sharp firing 
was going on, and presently I saw these men bringing out of the yard three 
badly scared natives, soldiers in the Spanish army, whom they had captured 
in the house, and one of the men remarked that one man in the house had 
been killed, and that there had been four of them altogether. They carried 
their prisoners along with the advancing troops. 

Big Bluff by Major Jones. 

" While we were waiting on the Calle de Bagumbayan, Major Fitzhugh 
came into the street from the road leading toward Paco and reported to me 
that some insurgents had entered Malate in that direction and were advancing 
on the city, and that he and Major Jones, of the Quartermaster's Department, 
had taken the flag of the California regiment, and, going down the street in 
front of them had planted the flag and ordered them to halt, at the same time 
pulling their pistols and threatening to shoot the first man who dared to 
advance. Major Jones afterward remarked that it was simply a bluff on his 
part, as he didn't have a single cartridge in his pistol at the time. 

"They halted, however, and Major Fitzhugh had returned to report that 
they were threatening to come in anyhow and kill everybody — Americans or 
anybody else— who tried to prevent them. He thought some troops should 
be sent there, and I referred him to General Greene, who just then came out 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 19.") 

of the walled city. He reported to General Greene, and I understand some 
troops were immediately dispatched to prevent their further advance. 

" I have never before realized what a demoralizing thing it is to be shot 
at and not know where the bullet is coming from. The Mauser rifle used by 
the Spanish has a very small calibre, and as the Spanish used smokeless pow- 
der the noise was very slight. There was no flash or smoke at all. The 
flash could not even be seen by night. One could only judge of the direction 
from which the bullet came by the small popping noise of the explosion. 
This gave one a general idea, but no indication of where to shoot. It gave 
the Spanish a most decided advantage over all our volunteers, who were armed 
with Springfields, the fire from which made a great noise and much smoke, as 
old-fashioned powder was in the cartridges. 

" The other day I was sent by General Greene to guide certain officers to 
the water-works, the reservoir, and the pumping station. Wc found both in 
the hands of the insurgents, and at neither place would they allow us to 
examine the works until I had shown them an old pass that I had obtained 
from Aguinaldo when I started to make my first reconnoisance around the 
city. This proved to be an open sesame, and we had no further trouble. 
They would not give up the water-works, however, without an order, and so 
on the following day General Merritt directed me to go and see Aguinaldo 
concerning the matter, but just as I was making preparations to start, in the 
worst storm and over the worst roads I ever saw, two emissaries from Agui- 
naldo came to see General Greene about the same question, so I was saved a 
disagreeable journey. Everything is still in considerable confusion, but I 
believe it is .straightening itself out as rapidly and as smoothly as could well 
be expected under the circumstances." 

General Merritt's Report. 

The report of Major-General Wesley Merritt of his operations about 
Manila is dated on board the transport China. August 31. After giving 
briefly the story of his embarkation and arrival at Manila, and the disposition 
of the troops there, he says : 

" I found General Greene's command encamped on a strip of sandy land 
running parallel to the shore of the bay. and not far di.stant from the beach, 
but owing to the great difficulties of landing supplies the greater portion of 
the force had .shelter tents only, and were suffering many discomforts, the 
camp being situated in a low, flat place, without shelter from the heat of the 
tropical sun, or adequate protection during the terrific downpours of rain so 
frequent at this season. 

" I was at once struck by the exemplary spirit of patient, even cheerful, 



196 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

endurance shown by the officers and men under such circumstances, and this 
•"eeling of admiration for the manner in which the American soldier, volunteer 
and regular alike, accepts the necessary hardships of the work they have 
undertaken to do, has grown and increased with nearly every phase of the 
difficult and trying campaign which the troops of the Philippine expedition 
have brought to such a brilliant and successful conclusion. 

The Insurgents' Strength. 

" The Filipinos, or insurgent forces at war with Spain, had, prior to the 
arrival of the American land forces, been waging a desultory warfare with the 
Spaniards for several months, and were at the time of my arrival in considera- 
ble force, variously estimated and never accurately ascertained, but probably 
not far from 12,000 men. These troops, well supplied with small arms, with 
plenty of ammunition, and several field guns, had obtained positions of 
investment opposite to the Spanish line of detached works throughout their 
entire extent." 

General Merritt then speaks of Aguinaldo's operations previous to his 
arrival, and continues : 

" As General Aguinaldo did not visit me on my arrival nor offer his 
services as a subordinate military leader, and as my instructions from the 
President fully contemplated the occupation of the islands by the American 
land forces, and stated that ' the powers of the military occupant are absolute 
and supreme, and immediately operate upon the political condition of the 
inhabitants,' I did not consider it wise to hold any direct communication 
with the insurgent leader until I should be in possession of the city of Manila, 
especially as I would not until then be in a position to issue a proclamation 
and enforce my authority, in the event that his pretensions should clash with 
my designs. 

" For these reasons the preparations for the attack on the city were 
pressed, and military operations conducted without reference to the situation 
of the insurgent forces. The wisdom of this course was subsequently fully 
established by the fact, that when the troops of my command carried the 
Spanish intrenchments, extending from the sea to the Pasay Road, on the 
extreme Spanish right, we were under no obligations, by prearranged plans of 
mutual attack, to turn to the right and clear the front still held against the 
insurgents, but were able to move forward at once and occupy the city and 
suburbs. 

" To return to the situation of General Greene's brigade as I found it &i? 
my arrival, it will be seen that the difficulty in gaining an avenue of approach to 
the Spanish line lay in the fact of my disinclination to ask General Aguinaldo 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 1^7' 

to withdraw from the beach and the ' Calle Real,' so that Greene could move 
forward. This was overcome by instructions to General Greene to arrange, it 
possible, with the insurgent brigade commander in his immediate vicinity to 
move to the right and allow the American forces unobstructed control of I'lc 
roads in their immediate front. No objection was made, and accordingly 
General Greene's brigade threw forward a heavy outpost line on the ' Callc 
Real ' and the beach, and constructed a trench in which a portion of the gun.s 
of the Utah Battery was placed. 

The Spanish Night Attack. 

" The Spaniards, observing this activity on our part, made a sharp attack 
with infantry and artillery on the night of July 31st. The behavior of our 
troops during this night attack was all that could be desired, and I have, in 
cablegrams to the War Department, taken occasion to commend by name 
those who deserve special mention for good conduct in the affair. Our posi- 
tion was extended and strengthened after this, and resisted successfully 
repeated night attacks, our forces suffering, however, considerable loss in 
wounded and killed, while the losses of the enemy, owing to the darkness, 
could not be ascertained. 

" The strain of the night fighting and the heavy details for outpost duty 
made it imperative to reinforce General Greene's troops with General Mac- 
Arthur's brigade, which had arrived in transports on the 31st of July. The 
difficulties of this operation can hardly be over-estimated. The transports 
were at anchor off Cavite, five miles from a point on the beach, where it was 
desired to disembark the men. 

" Several squalls, accompanied by floods of rain, raged day after day, and 
the only way to get the troops and supplies ashore was to load them from 
the ship's side into native lighters (called ' cascos ') or small steamboats, move 
them to a point opposite the camp, and then disembark them through the surf 
m small boats, or by running the lighters head on the beach. The landing 
was finally accomplished, after days of hard work and hardships; and I desire 
here to express again my admiration for the fortitude and cheerful willingness 
of men of all commands engaged in this operation. 

" Upon the assembly of MacArthur's brigade in support of Greene's, I 
had about 8.500 men in position to attack, and I deemed the time had come 
for final action. During the time of the night attacks I had communicated 
my desire to Admiral Dewey that he would allow his ships to open fire on 
the right of the Spanish line of intrenchmcnts, believing th.it such action 
would stop the night firing and loss of life ; but the Admiral had declined to 
order it, unless we were in danger of losing our position by the assaults of the 



198 SURRENDER OF MANILA, 

Spanish, for the reason that, in his opinion, it would precipitate a general 
engagement, for which he was not ready. 

" Now, however, the brigade of General MacArthur was in position, and 
the Monterey had arrived, and under date of August 6th Admiral Dewey 
agreed to my suggestion, that we should send a joint letter to the Captain- 
General notifying him that he should remove from the city all non-combatants 
within forty-eight hours, and that operations against the defences of Manila 
might begin at any time after the expiration of that period. 

" This letter was sent August 7, and a reply was received the same date 
to the effect that the Spanish were without places of refuge for the increased 
numbers of wounded, sick, women and children now lodged within the walls. 
On the 9th, a formal joint demand for the surrender of the city was sent in. 
This demand was based upon the hopelessness of the struggle on the part of 
the Spaniards, and that every consideration of humanity demanded that the 
city should not be subjected to bombardment under such circumstances. The 
Captain-General's reply, of same date, stated that the Council of Defence had 
declared that the demand could not be granted; but the Captain- General 
offered to consult his Government if we would allow him the time strictly 
necessary for the communications by way of Hong Kong. 

" This was declined on our part, for the reason that it could, in the 
opinion of the Admiral and myself, lead only to a continuance of the situa- 
tion, with no immediate result favorable to us, and the necessity was apparent 
and very urgent that decisive action should be taken at once to compel the 
enemy to give up the town, in order to relieve our troops from the trenches, 
and from the great exposure to unhealthy conditions, which were unavoida- 
ble in a bivouac during the rainy season. 

The Plan of Assault. 

" The seacoast batteries in defence of Manila are so situated that it is 
impossible for ships to engage them without firing into the town, and as the 
bombardment of a city filled with women and children, sick and wounded, 
and containing a large amount of neutral property, could only be justified as 
a last resort, it was agreed between Admiral Dewey and myself that an 
attempt should be made to carry the extreme right of the Spanish line of 
intrenchments in front of the positions at that time occupied by our troops, 
which, with its flank on the seashore, was entirely open to the fire of the 
n:;vy. 

" It was not my intention to press the assault at this point, in case 
the enemy should hold it in strong force, until after the navy had made prac- 
ticable breaches in the works and shaken the troops holding them, which 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 199 

could not be done by the army alone, owing to the absence of siege guns. 
This is indicated fully in the orders and memorandum of attack hereto 
appended. It was believed, however, as most desirable, and in accordance 
with the principles of civilized warfare, that the attempt should be made to 
drive the enemy out of his intrenchments before resorting to the bombard- 
ment of the city. 

" By orders issued some time previously, MacArthur's and Greene's 
brigades were organized as the 2d division of the 8th Army Corps, Brigadier 
General Thomas M. Anderson commanding ; and in anticipation of the attack 
General Anderson moved his headquarters from Cavite to the brigade camps 
and assumed direct command in the field. Copies of the written and verbal 
instructions, referred to above and appended hereto, were given to the divi- 
sion and brigade commanders on the I2th, and all the troops were in position 
on the 13th at an early hour in the morning. 

Dewey Opens the Fight. 

"About 9 A.M. on that day our fleet steamed forward from Cavite, and 
before 10 a.m. opened a hot and accurate fire of heavy shells and rapid-fire 
projectiles on the sea flank of the Spanish intrenchments at the powder maga- 
zine fort, and at the same time the Utah batteries in position in our trenches 
near the ' Calle Real ' began firing with great accuracy. At 10..25, on a prear- 
ranged signal from our trenches that it was believed our troops could advance, 
the navy ceased firing, and immediately a light line of skirmishers from the 
Colorado regiment of Greene's Brigade passed over our trenches and deployed 
rapidly forward, another line from the same regiment from the left flank of 
our earthworks, advancing swiftly up the beach in open order. 

" Both of these lines found the powder magazine forts and the trenches 
flanking it deserted, but as they passed over the Spanish works they were met 
by a sharp fire from a second line situated in the streets cf Malate, by which 
a number of men were killed and wounded, among others the soldier who 
pulled down the Spanish colors still flying on the fort and raised our own. 

"The works of the second line soon gave way to the determined advance 
of Greene's troops, and that officer pushed his brigade rapidly through Malate 
and over the bridges to occupy Binondo and Sm Miguel, as contemplated in 
his instructions. In the meantime the brigade of General MacArthur, advanc- 
ing simultaneously on the Pasay road, encountered a very sharp fire, coming 
from the block-houses, trenches and woods in his front, positions which it was 
very difficult to carry, owing to the swampy condition of the ground on both 
sides of the roads and the heavy undergrowth concealing the enem.y. With 
much gallantry and excellent judgment on the part of the brigade commander 



200 SURRENDER OF MANILA. • 

and the troops engaged, these difficulties were overcome with a minimum loss 
and MacArthur advanced and held the bridges and the town of Malate, as was 
contemplated in his instructions. 

" The city of Manila was now in our possession, except the walled town_, 
but shortly after the entry of our troops into Malate a white flag was displayed 
on the walls, whereupon Lieutenant-Colonel C. A. Whittier, United States 
.Volunteers, of my staff, and Lieutenant Brumby, United States navy, repre^ 
senting Admiral Dewey, were sent ashore to communicate with the Captain- 
General. I soon personally followed these officers into the town, going at 
once to the palace of the Governor-General, and there, after a conversation 
with the Spanish authorities, a preliminary agreement of the terms of capitu- 
lation was signed by the Captain-General and myself. This agreement was 
subsequently incorporated into the formal terms of capitulation, as arranged 
by the officers representing the two forces. 

American Flag Unfurled. 

" Immediately after the surrender the Spanish colors on the sea front were 
hauled down and the American flag displayed and saluted by the guns of the 
navy. The Second Oregon regiment, which had proceeded by sea from 
Cavite, was disembarked and entered the walled town as a provost guard, and 
the Colonel was directed to receive the Spanish arms and deposit them in 
places of security. The town was filled with the troops of the enemy driven 
in from the intrenchments, regiments formed and standing in line in the 
streets, but the work of disarming proceeded quietly, and nothing unpleasant 
occurred. 

"In leaving the subject of the operations of the 13th, I desire here to 
record my appreciation of the admirable manner in which the orders for 
attack and the plan for occupation of the city were carried out by the troops 
exactly as contemplated. I submit that for troops to enter under fire a town 
covering a wide area, to rapidly deploy and guard all principal points in the 
extensive suburbs, to keep out the insurgent forces pressing for admission, to 
quietly disarm an army of Spaniards more than equal in numbers to the 
American troops, and finally by all this to prevent entirely all rapine, pillage 
and disorder and gain entire and complete possession of a city of 300,000 
people, with natives hostile to the European interests and stirred up by the 
knowledge that their own people were fighting in the outside trenches— was 
(,an act which only the law-abiding, temperate, resolute American soldier, well 
handled by his regimental and brigade commanders, could accomplish. 

" It will be observed that the trophies of Manila were nearly ^000,000^ 
13,000 prisoners, and 22,ODO arms," 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 201 

General Merritt then details the inauguration of the military government 
of Manila by the Americans. Further he says: 

" On the i6th a cablegram containing the text of the President's proclama- 
tion directing a cessation of hostilities was received by mc, and at the same 
time an order to make the fact known to the Spanish authorities, which was 
done at once. This resulted in a formal protest from the Governor-General 
»in relation to the transfer of public funds then taking place, on the ground that 
the proclamation was dated prior to the surrender. To this I replied that the 
status quo in which we were left with the cessation of hostilities was that 
existing at the time of the receipt by me of the official notice, and that I 
must insist upon the delivery of the funds, which was made under protest. 

" After the issue of my proclamation and the establishment of my office 
as Military Governor, I had direct written communication with General Agui- 
naldo on several occasions. He recognized my authority as Military Governor 
of the town of Manila and suburbs, and made professions of his willingness 
to withdraw his troops to a line which I might indicate, but at the same time 
asking certain favors for himself. The matters in this connection had not 
been settled at the date of my departure. 

" Doubtless much dissatisfaction is felt by the rank and file of the insur- 
gents that they have not been permitted to enjoy the occupancy of Manila, 
and there is some ground for trouble with them, owing to that fact, but not- 
withstanding many rumors to the contrary, I am of the opinion that the leaders 
will be able to prevent serious disturbances, as they are sufficiently intelligent 
and educated to know that to antagonize the United States would be to 
destroy their only chance of future political improvement. 

" I may add that great changes for the better have taken place in Manila 
since the occupancy of the city by the American troops. 







General Anderson's Statement. 

The following extracts are taken from the reports of General Thomas M. 
Anderson, commanding the second division of the Eighth Army Corps, as to 
♦:he operations about Manila : 

"On the 1st day of July I had an interview with the insurgent chief, 
'\guinaldo and learned from him that the Spanish forces had withdrawn, 
driven back by his army, as he claimed, to a line of defense immediately 
around the city and its suburbs. 



202 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

" He estimated the Spanish forces at about 14,000 men and his own at 
about the same number. He did not seem pleased at the incoming of our 
land forces, hoping, as I believe, that he could take the city with his owe 
army, with the co-operation of the American fleet." 

General Anderson thus describes the attack on Manila, which was under 
his immediate command, subject to orders from General Merritt, whose head- 
quarters were on a dispatch boat ; 

"The fleet opened fire at 9. 30 a.m. The first shots fell short; but thel 
range was soon found, and then the fire became evidently effective. I at once 
telegraphed General Mac Arthur to open on blockhouse No. 14 and begin 
his attack. At the same time seven of the guns of the Utah Battery opened 
fire on the enemy's works in front of the Second Brigade, and two guns on 
the right of this brigade opened an oblique fire toward blockhouse No. 14. 

" Riding down to the beach, I saw two of our lighter draft vessels approach 
and open on the Polvorin with rapid-fire guns, and observed at the same time 
some men of the Second Brigade start up the beach. I ordered the First 
California, which was the leading regiment of the reserve, to go forward and 
report to General Greene. Going to the reserve telegraph I received a mes- 
sage from MacArthur that his fire on the blockhouse was effective, but that 
he was enfiladed from the right. 

" I knew from this that he wished to push the insurgents aside and put in 
the Astor Battery. I then authorized him to attack, which he did, and soon 
after the Twenty-third Infantry and the Thirteenth Minnesota carried the ad- 
vance line of the enemy in the most gallant manner, the one gun of the Utah 
Battery and the Astor Battery lending most effective assistance. 

Colorado Men Charge. 

" In the meantime the Colorado Regiment had charged and carried the 
right of the enemy's line, and the Eighteenth Regular Infantry and the Third 
Heavy (regular) Artillery, acting as infantry, had advanced and passed over 
the enemy's works in their front without opposition. The reserve was ordered 
forward to follow the Second Brigade, and a battery of Hotchkiss guns was 
directed to follow the Eighteenth Infantry. 

" Soon the men from Nebraska and Wyoming came on shouting, for the 
«^hite flag could now be seen from the sea front ; yet the firing did not cease, 
and the Spanish soldiers at the front did not seem to be notified of the sur- 
render. In the meantime the reserves had been ordered forward, except one 
regiment, which was ordered to remain in the Second Brigade trenches. The 
seven Utah guns were also ordered to the front, one infantry battalion being 
directed to assist the men of the batteries in hauling the guns by hand. 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 203 

*' The field telegraph wires, extending in a wide circuit to the extreme 
right, for a time gave discouraging reports. The front was contracted, the 
enemy entrenched and the timber thick on both sides of the road. Only two 
regiments could be put on the firing line. The Fourteenth Infantry was brought 
forward, but could not fire a shot. Under these circumstances I telegraphed 
MacArthur to countermarch and come to Malate by way of Greene's in- 
trenchments and the beach. This was at 12.25 P- ^^'> but soon after I learned 
^that MacArthur was too far committed to retire. The guns of the Astor 
Battery had been dragged to the front only after the utmost exertions and 
were about being put into the battery. 

"At the same time I received a telegram stating that the insurgents were 
threatening to cross the bamboo bridge on our right, and to prevent this and 
to guard our ammunition at Pasay I ordered an Idaho battalion to that point 
It was evidently injudicious under these circumstances to withdraw the First 
Brigade, so the order was countermanded and a despatch sent announcing 
our success on the left. 

*' In answer, the report came that Singalong had been captured and that 
the brigade was advancing on Paco. At this point it was subsequently met 
by one of my aides and marched down to the Cuartel de Malate by the Cal- 
zada de Paca. I had gone in the meantime to the south bridge of the walled 
city, and learning that the Second Oregon was within the walls, and that 
Colonel Whittier was in conference with the Spanish commandant, I directed 
General Greene to proceed at once with his brigade to the north side of the 
Pasig, retaining only the Wyoming Battalion to remain with me to keep up 
the connection between the two brigades." 

O'Connor's Adventures. 

General Anderson, in describing the remarkable adventures of Captain 
O'Connor of the Twenty-third Infantr}% reported : 

" A remarkable incident of the day was the experience of Captain Stephen 
O'Connor of the Twenty-third Infantry. With a detachment of fifteen skirm- 
ishers he separated from his regiment and brigade at blockhouse No. 14, and 
striking a road, probably in the rear of the enemy, marched into the city 
without opposition until he came to the Calle Real in Malate. Along this 
street he had some unimportant street fighting until he came to the Paseo de 
la Calzada, where, learning that negotiations were going on for a surrender, 
he took post at the bridge north of sallyport, and the whole outlying Spanish 
force south of the Pasig passed by this small detachment in hurr>'ing crowds. 
Captain O'Connor deserves recognition for the coolness and bravery he dis- 
played in this remarkable adventure. 



204 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

" The opposition we met in battle was not sufficient to test the bravery 
of our soldiers, but all showed bravery and dash. The losses show that the 
leading regiments of the First Brigade, Thirteenth Minnesota and Twenty- 
third Infantry, and the Astor Battery met the most serious opposition and 
deserve credit for their success. The Colorado, California and Oregon regi- 
ments, the regulars and all the batteries of the Second Brigade showed such 
zeal that it seems a pity that they did not meet foemen worthy of their steel." 

MacArthur's Narrative. 

General Arthur MacArthur, who commanded the First Brigade, Second 
Division, Eighth Corps, in the operations against Manila, in his report on the 
surrender of that city said : 

" Several hours before the operations of the day were intended to com- 
mence there was considerable desultory firing from the Spanish line, both of 
cannon and small arms, provoked no doubt by Filipino soldiers, who insisted 
upon maintaining a general fusilade along their lines. The fire was not 
returned by our troops, and when the formation of the day was commenced 
things at the front were comparatively quiet. 

" By 8 o'clock the position was occupied, about 9.35 the naval attack 
commenced, and some twenty minutes thereafter the gun of Battery B, Utah 
Artillery, opened on Blockhouse 14, the guns of the Astor Battery having 
engaged an opposing battery some minutes after the opening of the naval 
attack. There was no reply from the blockhouse or contiguous lines, either 
by guns or small arms. The opposition to the Astor fire, however, was quite 
energetic ; but after a spirited contest the opposition, consisting probably of 
two pieces, was silenced. 

" This contest was the only notable feature of the first stage of the 
action, and was especially creditable to the organization engaged. The posi- 
tion, selected by Lieutenant March, after careful personal reconnoissance, was 
perhaps the only one possible in the vicinity, and it was occupied with great 
skill and held with commendable firmness, the battery losing three men 
wounded, one of whom has since died. 

"At about 11.20 a United States flag was placed upon Blockhouse 14, 
thus concluding the second stage of the action without opposition and with- 
out loss. 

" The general advance was soon resumed. At a point just south of 
Singalong, a blockhouse was found burning, causing a continuous explosion 
of small arms ammunition, which, together with a scattering fire from the 
enemy, retarded the advance for a time. All difficulties were soon overcome, 
however, including the passage of the Astor Battery, by the determined 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 205 

efforts of Lieutenant March and his men, assisted by the infantry of the Min- 
nesota regiment over the gun emplacement which obstructed the road. 

" In the village of Singalong the advance fell under a loose fire, the 
intensity of which increased as the forward movement was pressed, and very 
soon the command was committed to a fierce combat. This strong opposi- 
tion arose at Blockhouse 20, of the Spanish defenses. 

Minnesota Men in Advance. 

" The advance party, consisting of men of the Minnesota regiment, rein-V 
forced by the volunteers from the Astor Battery, led by Lieutenant March 
and Captain Sawtelle, of the brigade staff, as an individual volunteer, reached 
a point within less than eighty yards of the blockhouse, but was obliged to 
retire to the intersecting road in the village, at which point a hasty work was 
improvised and occupied by a firing line of about fifteen men. Aside from 
conspicuous individual actions in the first rush, the well-regulated conduct of 
this firing line was the marked feature of the contest, and it is proposed, if 
possible, to ascertain the names of the men engaged with a view to recom- 
mend them for special distinction. 

" At about 1.30 P.M. all firing had cea.sed, and two scouting parties volun- 
tarily led by Captain Sawtelle and Lieutenant March, soon thereafter reported 
the retreat of the adversary. The city was entered without further incident " 

In his report, Major General F. V. Greene, who commanded the Second 
Brigade, describes in detail the part performed by his command in the battles 
about Manila, recapitulating in the following : 

"This brigade reached Manila Bay July i/th; landed and established 
camp July I9th-2ist; was attacked by the Spaniards July 31st, August ist, 
Auo-ust 2d, and August 5th ; led the advance in the attack and capture of 
Manila, August 13th. Our losses were sixteen killed and sixty-six wounded. 
It is impossible to give any accurate figure of the losses of the Spaniards, but 
it is probably safe to say that their losses from August 1st to 13th were at 
least forty killed and 100 wounded. 

" The manner in which the troops performed their duties, whether fight- 
ing, working in the trenches or sitting still under fire, with strict orders not 
to return it, is worthy of the very highest praise," 1 

General Greene's brigade consisted of the First Colorado, First Nebraska 
and Tenth Pennsylvania, and the First and Battalions of the Eighteenth In- 
fantry ; Batteries A and B, of the Utah Artillery ; a detachment of Company 
A, Engineer Battalion; First California, First and Third Battalions, Third Ar- 
tillery; Company A, Ertginecr Battalion. 

Rev. Joseph L. Hunter, Chaplain of the Tenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 



206 SURRENDER OF MANILA. 

in a letter to a friend gives an interesting picture of life in the Philippines 
since the fall of Manila. He writes : 

" Since we left Mt. Gretna for the Philippines we have lost our regimental 
number and have throughout been known and honored as the ' Pennsylvania 
boys,' and all classes unite in the effort to make it pleasant for the Keystone 
State soldiers. While we have thus been the recipients of the favors that 
belong to the State, we have tried to merit them and reflect honor on our 

State. 

" We have met Pennsylvanians everywhere, and we think at least loo,- 
000,000 people have told us that they or their parents or grandparents lived 
in or passed through Pennsylvania at some time in their lives. These all 
know us and want to know us, and we want to know them. When we go 
back to Pennsylvania, as we hope and pray we soon may, many will appre- 
ciate it as they never did before, and they will settle down and end their days 
in some part of our grand old Commonwealth. We are fond of Philadelphia, 
because we have met the most genial people from Philadelphia everywhere. 

" But I must tell you about ourselves. At present the Tenth Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers' headquarters are in the municipal building, Parque de Bom- 
berus, Santa Cruz, District of New Manila. Companies B and K are also 
here. Companies D and E are 100 yards north, at a bank on the Escolta. 
Major Bierer and the others are at the Presidio, guarding the prison. They 
have over 2,ooo prisoners for various crimes. Yesterday 152 were released 
by the United States investigating officers, and you cannot imagine how they 
made the air ring with their ' Viva Americanos ! ' They were political pri- 
soners, and some of them were in for life, 

" The United States cannot keep men in prison who tried to gain their 
country's liberty. The St. Paul arrived yesterday with more troops and 
much mail. The free copies of your paper sent us have been a great boon to 
all of us. Nearly all are out of money, and even if we had it we could not 
very well send for papers, as we were unable to pay for them. Pay day will 
be here soon. 

" The pay rolls are all ready now, and as soon as we get our pay we are 
ready to go home ; but the transports are being sent home and we are now 
resigned to a two months' sojourn here at least— we will be glad to get away 
(then." 



CHAPTER XII. 

An Officer of the United States Ship Raleigh Tells How 

She Fired the First Shot. 



ja^L^^HE most interesting accounts of our naval operations in the Philip- 
^ W P'i"^s are from officers on board the ships that were engaged. 

'^ ir..^ When the warship Raleigh arrived in the United States one of her 
officers was asked to give an account of her exploits in the mem- 
orable battle of May ist. He commented as follows: 

" To tell the story of the Raleigh I would need to tell more than her 
experience at Manila Bay. She did her part on that occasion nobly, her heavy 
armament standing her in excellent stead. She fired the first shot and came 
very near firing the last, doing her full share of the fighting and discharging 
her guns to splendid effect. She performed important duties in the turbulent 
days following the ist of May, but none of these is the most remarkable 
performance of the little craft. She has been absent from the United States 
a trifle over two years, and in this time has been attached to three different 
squadrons, has protected the interests of the United States against four differ- 
ent flags and has made a cruising record almost as striking as the Oregon 

Chased Filibusters in Florida Bay. 

" Two years and a half ago the Raleigh was first attached to Admiral 
Bunce's fleet of the North Atlantic Squadron, during which time she was 
engaged in chasing filibusters in Florida Bay. She had a number of exciting 
experiences there that were interesting, but uniniportant in the light of her 
more recent work. While at Tampa, Fla., she received orders to proceed to 
^.he New York nav}' yard. In April, 1897, shortly after her arrival at the 
navy yard, she received orders to proceed to Europe to the Mediterranean, 
and join the European squadron, as the relief of the Cincinnati. 

" She has not touched an American port since until she reached New 
Vork last Sunday. She passed through the Mediterranean, stopping at 
various points and finally joined Admiral Selfridge's squadron to protect 
American interests during the Armenian riots. 

" She spent several months on the coast of Asiatic Turkey and Assyria, 
and then received orders to visit all the ports on the Atlantic and Mediterra- 
nean coasts of Morocco, on account of the discourteous treatment accorded 

207 



208 THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 

our consular representatives. The Raleigh then returned to Smyrna, and in 
the latter part of December, 1897, the officers on board were very much sur- 
prised to receive orders to join the Asiatic squadron under command of Com- 
modore Dewey, then lying at Hong Kong. 

" This was in anticipation of trouble with Spain, and with our arrival in 
Hong Kong ends the first chapter of the story — a chapter not lacking in 
excitement and interest, since we were engaged in protecting the interests of 
the United States against Cuban filibusters, against Armenian outrages and 
against Moroccan arrogance, with real trouble liable to follow at any time ; 
but a chapter which pales into insignificance compared with our later 
experience. 

"We arrived in Hong Kong early in February, 1898, and began the 
second chapter. We remained there watching the course of events and 
making secret preparations for war during the two months that followed. 
We might have remained longer had not England turned us out with her 
proclamation of neutrality. We were then homeless, with no where to turn 
save Manila, and the prospect of a warm welcome there. 

Cruising Around China. 

"We went to Mirs Bay, on the coast of China. There a council of war 
was convened by the Admiral, which was attended by the commanding 
officers of the fleet. I think the suggestions of our commanding officer were 
very prominent, and that his plans were carried out to a considerable extent. 
I do not mean to detract from another's service, but to give Captain Coghlan 
credit. We then started for Manila. 

" The city is located thirty miles from the China Sea on Manila Bay. 
At the entrance to the bay is Corregidor Island. It is in the centre of the 
bay, with a channel on either side, the Boca Grande and the Boca Chica. It 
was decided by the Admiral and commanding officers that it was most expe- 
dient to enter the bay through the Boca Grande, it being the wider of the two. 
This we did. Thus on the left end was the Corregidor Island ; on the right 
side Elfrire. The passage between them was supposed to be mined by the 
Spaniards. We scarcely expected to find any mines in water of this depth 
and current. Our fleet had some misgivings about running over these mines, 
but the Rubicon had to be crossed. 

" The flagship Olympia was in the lead ; the Baltimore second, and the 
Raleigh third. As we entered all the lights were turned out on Corregidor 
Island. All the ships of our fleet had their lights out. We hoped to get in 
undiscovered by the battery on the island, but as we passed in through the 
Boca Grande the battery opened fire on the Raleigh, which had then come 



THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 20D 

up abreast of her. The orders were to return any fire, and we at once 
responded with our starboard 5-inch gun, under command of Lieutenant 
Baden, who thus fired tlie first gun of the battle. 

" The fleet steamed on in single column, the Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh 
Petrel, Concord, Boston and the McCulloch. The entrance of the bay was 
passed about midnight of April 30, and Manila reached about dawn. We. 
were steaming along within 4,400 yards of the Spanish fleet when the Span- 
iards opened fire on our fleet. It was fully ten minutes before it was 
returned. 

" We waited till we drew in a little nearer, then using our starboard 
battery we let them have it. We passed up to Manila and turned in and 
came back, giving them the port. We ran over the same course five different 
times, each time getting a little closer. Towards the close of the battle we 
were about 1600 )'ards from the Spaniards. 

" In the early part of the engagement the fire of almost the entire fleet 
was centered on the Reina Cristina, Montijo's flagship, which was set on fire. 
By means of marine glasses we could look over and see the men falling over 
the side of the ship on the Reina Cristina. Admiral Montijo shifted his flag 
over to the Castilla. Her smokestacks were soon shot away and she was 
set afire, and Montijo again shifted his flag back to the Reina Cristina. The 
two were soon shot to pieces. 

Ran Back After Firing. 

" The Isla de Cuba, the Isla de Luzon and the Don Juan de Ulloa only 
remained. These took refuge just back of the navy-yard, from which position 
they sallied out, fired a volley and retired again. Finally the Concord and 
Petrel, the two light draught ships, were sent in to silence them, and forced 
them to scuttle and abandon them. 

" During the engagement the Raleigh maintained an incessant fire, 
inflicting especial damage. Her battery is decidedly greater than that of any 
ship in the fleet. The Raleigh is, in fact, the heaviest armored ship in the 
navy for her size. The next day on account of her effective work on May i 
she was sent down to Corregidor Island to receive the surrender of the bat- 
tery there. Lieutenant Rodman was sent ashore on this island to receive the 
surrender, in company with an interpreter and a Spanish hostage. After 
some parley we received the surrender and retired. Four days later the 
Raleigh was again called on. Then followed the much-talked-of Irene 
incident. 

" The Raleigh and the Concord were ordered by the Admiral to go over 
to Subig Bay to receive the surrender of a number of men there on Grande 
14-D 



210 THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 

Island. Just as she entered the bay they descried the Irene. As soon as the 
Irene saw us she sHpped her anchor and got out in a great hurry. 

" As Subig bay is a point that no foreign vessel hardly ever visits, an 
explanation was asked. To justify themselves the Germans claimed that this 
Spanish army post of several hundred men were subject to the mercy of the 
Filipinos. The Admiral claimed that he had heard the Filipinos would deal 
severely with the Spanish garrison, so for humanity's sake he sent the Irene 
there to protect the Spaniards. It was a piece of meddlesome interference, 
and the Irene proved it to be so. When she saw the American ships coming 
in she realized her position and got out, 

" The rest of our work was unimportant. We helped in two or three 
small captures, but received not a shot from the enemy. In fact, only once 
was the Raleigh struck. This was when a Spanish shell shortly after the 
great fight began passed clear through the starboard whaleboat and glanced 
off the shield of one of our 6-pound guns. Not a casualty was experienced. 

Gave Her a Royal Send-oflF. 

" We left Manila on December 1 5. It was a beautiful day, though a trifle 
hot. We got the order to return home, and signaled the Admiral we were 
ready to start. He signaled to get under way, and every ship of the fleet 
stood ready to give us a royal send-off. With our homeward-bound pennant 
flying we steamed completely around the squadron, each ship giving us r. 
cheer and a salute as we passed. It made the tears start to hear them. 

" Wc were off on our 13,060-mile journey, a journey that took us four 
months to complete, though we might have made it in sixty days. The Navy 
Department gave the captain almost absolute discretion as to the time and 
where the Raleigh should stop, and he proceeded by easy stages. 

" Our first stop was at Singapore, on the Malay peninsula, where he 
went on dry dock the 26th of December, 1898. Here we spent about ten 
days, feted on every hand. We were entertained by the Prince of Wales' 
West Yorkshire Regiment at Christmas luncheon. The following day we 
were entertained by the British Army Post at that place. We were also 
entertained by the English Club and the American and English consuls. On 
iSTew Year's Day we were invited to lunch with the Sultan of Johore, a young 
.man of about twenty-five years. He entertained us royally. 

" Our next stop was at Columbo, on the island of Ceylon. While there 
we met a number of American globe-trotters. We were again entertained 
there by the British Army Post. This was repeated in Bombay, where we 
spent a week, and entertained all the while in the same lavish manner. Our 
next port was Aden, Arabia. We spent a week there, and were liberally 



THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT, 211 

entertained. The Derb>'shire Regiment gave us a grand banquet, at which 
the health of the President of the United States was drunk. The plea.sing 
feature of it all was their evident sincerity. 

" The next port was an Egyptian one, that of Alexandria. From there 
we went to Malta, where the British Mediterranean squadron, the flower of 
the British navy, containing eleven battleships of 14,000 tons, lay. In addi- 
tion there were a number of armored crui.sers. We had as many invitations 
to banquets as we could accept. At the banquets on board the British ships 
tan interesting feature occurred. Wine was passed around, and when all the 
glasses were filled a toast was given of * The Queen, God Bless Her,' and the 
band immediately struck up ' God Save the Queen.' 

" At one of these banquets the same thing was done of the President of 
the United States, with the words, ' God Save the President of the United 
States.' On board ship, and at the army posts, they had the American flags 
entwined with the British and every manifestation of friendship made. A? 
we went into the port of Malta the Britishers on shore greeted us with an 
outburst of applause. It is very pleasing to the Americans to see that their 
British cousins recognize the American nation as a worthy descendant. 

Friendly Sa-lute to the Spanish Flag. 

"From Malta we went to Algiers and thence to Gibraltar. As we were 
coming out of the harbor of Gibraltar, Admiral Camara's fleet was just astern 
of us. We slowed down until his flagship, the Carlos V., got abreast of us. 
Then we hoisted the Spanish flag and fired a salute of thirteen guns. This 
was considered quite a graceful overture of peace on the part of the Ameri- 
cans, as diplomatic relations had not been resumed between the two countries. 
We did not know whether the Spaniards were going to return the salute or 
not, but after a lapse of five minutes we saw the Stars and Stripes go up at 
the Spanish mainmast, and the salute was returned, gun for gun. 

" The Spanish squadron comprises about five ships and is the same 
squadron that passed through the Suez Canal. We left Gibraltar about 5 
o'clock, and about fifteen minutes after our departure, Camara followed. We 
went west, and they pursued an easterly course. We sailed for the Azores 
and then went to Barcelona. We had a rough trip over, the only rough 
weather we experienced, and landed in New York just two years after our 
start. In the last twelve months we had made a great record, traveling over 
36000 miles, or nearly 100 miles a day. 

" We made another wonderful record. During an absence of three years 
only one death occurred, and that was a ca.se of a boatswain's mate, who was 
broken down in the service. Not a 'ingle other man of 300 souls was even 



S12 THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 

seriously ill. This is not the least remarkable feature of a most remarkable 
trip of a most remarkable ship." 

The chief naval constructor of the United States, Philip Hichborn, imme- 
diately after the battle of Manila instituted a system of scientific and practical 
examination of the performances of our own ships and wounds resulting 
from the engagement with the enemy, and also the nature and extent of the 
damage done by our own fire upon the vessels of their opponents. 

The men behind the guns vindicated themselves as the first element of 
advantage in the successful engagement of the great fighting machines of a 
modern navy. It has been found that seamanship without marksmanship 
counts for little in a naval battle of to-day. The examination of the remains 
of the splendid machines of Cervera reveals this. 

Set on Fire by Exploding Shells. 

Chief Constructor Hichborn, commenting upon the points of superiority 
in our own ships, said : " It is shown by the official reports that the most 
serious obstacle the Spanish crews had to contend with on their own ships 
was the constant fires breaking out in the woodwork caused by the explosion 
of our shells. 

" When I became a member of the original Naval Advisory Board, 
appointed by Secretary Hunt, and which laid the keel of our present naval 
policy with respect to ships, I advocated the construction of every ship 
throughout of fireproof material exclusively. It was shown in the battle off 
Santiago harbor that the Spanish gunners were compelled in the very height 
of the engagement to abandon their guns in order to extinguish the fires on 
their ships. At times they were so enveloped in smoke that they were not 
only driven from their guns, but finally from their ships." 

Chief Constructor Hichborn said that the reports state that the Viscaya, 
one of the best ships in the fleet, was afire fore and aft at the same time, and 
sent up columns of smoke which could be seen from our vessels, when the 
firing was most severe. Mr. Hichborn added that no distraction on account 
of fires on board interfered with the work of our gunners. A shell explod- 
ing in the ward room of one of our vessels did not even cause one. So far- 
as known not one of our ships took fire. ', 

"The experts," said he, " of other navies have observed this great advan-^ 
tage, and will profit by the experience. 

" The foreign designers and builders of ships will learn other advantages 
which our navy possesses. It has been admitted for some time that our ves- 
sels were unmatchable theoretically. It is to be presumed that they now 
know it practically." 



THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 21.*i 

Commodore Hichborn, continuing, said : 

" One of the most important questions affecting the ships to be added 
to our naval force in the future is whether or not we shall continue the policy, 
definitely decided on when the work was commenced, of building them with 
unsheathed steel bottoms. At that time a great deal of misapprehension 
existed, based on insufficiently established conclusions, which have since been 
demonstrated to be faulty. It is now known, for instance, that galvanic 
action, upon which so much stress was laid, is largely a bugbear, and that all 
ill effects from this cause can be avoided by the practice of very moderate 
precautions compared with what was thought necessary a few years ago. 

"The Bureau of Construction and Repairs," said Mr. Hichborn, "has 
from the first consistently advocated sheathing the bottoms of all cruising 
ships intended for foreign service, and there are few reports on file from ships 
cruising in foreign waters that do not distinctly justify its attitude on this 
question. The tale is always the same, except when intensified by tropical 
waters. Within a month or two after the ship leaves the dock the consump- 
tion of coal for ordinary cruising speeds begins to increase, and generally it 
will increase as much as 25 per cent, before the ship has been six months out 
of dock, while at the same time, should emergency require it, she would be 
utterly unable to develop her rated full speed. 

Sheathing for Ships. 

*' All of the principal naval powers with the exception of the United 
States now fit sheathing on many of their vessels, and of the vessels recently 
collected in Asiatic waters almost all have wooden sheathed bottoms. In the 
British navy list there are eighty-two sheathed ships, not counting a large 
number of composite gunboats, and of these eighty-two, nineteen have been 
built during the last five years. Among these latter is the Renown, a first- 
class battleship of 12.300 tons displacement, and the Powerful and Terrible, 
the two largest unarmored cruisers in the world, they being of 14,300 tons 
displacement. 

" This, it must be borne in mind, is the result of a larger experience in 
the practical value of sheathed bottoms than any other power has had. The 
first British experiment in this line was applied to the Inconstant in 1868. 
She is a large ship, which was designed for foreign cruises at what was then 
considered extremely high speed, and the fact was recognized .that, starting 
with a clean bottom, her speed would be much reduced even before reaching 
a distant station. 

" The sheathing as applied to her bottom was very costly, but it did not 
prove as satisfactory as the modern practice, fitted at very much less expense. 



214 THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 

Until a few years ago it was considered absolutely necessary to fit two courses 
of plank on the outside of the iron or steel skin of the ship, the inner one 
bolted to the said skin and the outer one, which was arranged to break joints 
w^ith the inner, fastened with screw bolts, which should not penetrate to the 
metal. Experience has proved this elaborate system to be unnecessary, and 
now sheathing is fitted in a single course, generally from three to four inches, 
thick, which is bolted directly by brass bolts to the steel skin. The spaced 
left between the inner surface of the wood and the outer surface of the steel 
are filled with white or red lead, pumped in under pressure, in order to pre- 
vent accumulation of water behind the sheathing. When this system was 
first used, galvanized iron bolts were used for fastening, and it was found that 
the only damage caused by galvanic action was in these bolts, and since the 
substitution of brass bolts no difficulty has been experienced at all, ships 
returning from long cruises without docking with their bottoms in practically 
as good condition as when they started, 

"The draft of water of a ship is not appreciably affected by fitting 
sheathing, as its weight is nearly counterbalanced by the increased volume, 
while the increased displacement, considered as a factor in resistance to speed, 
is much more than compensated for by the fact of the bottom remaining clean 
and smooth. Practically the only factor to be considered, then, is the expense 
of fitting the sheathing, and it can easily be shown from the reports of our 
ships on foreign service that the increased coal consumption plus the docking 
bills has often amounted to more in a single cruise than would have sufficed 
to fit sheathing to their bottoms. Moreover, with large ships the expenses 
incident to steel bottoms increases in much more than direct ratio to their 
size, while the cost of sheathing does not so increase. 

" It is much to be hoped," said Mr. Hichborn, " that the policy of our 
Navy Department in this respect will be changed and that in future all our 
ships intended for foreign service will have their bottoms sheathed and cop- 
pered." 

How the Jackies Amuse Themselves. 

It will not be inappropriate in this connection, to give give some account 
of sailors' sports on shipboard. There is a general impression that it is only 
when Jack Tar gets shore leave that he has any relaxation. Nothing is further 
from the truth, for the jolly sailor lad can always make fun no matter where 
he is. One of the chief pleasures of the German warships now at Manila 
with Rear Admiral Dewey, of the United States navy, is the ceremony of 
baptism. One might suppose from this that the German seaman is especially 
pious, but it is only necessary to see the ceremony to observe that there is 
more fun than piety in it. 



THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 215 

"After every long voyage it is the custom to 'baptize' the sailor who 
has been the ' best' during the trip — that is, who has saved the most money 
and drank the least grog. If this honor was intended to promote decorum 
and sobriety it is a most dismal failure. It has just the contrary effect, for 
every sailor, to avoid the inevitable ducking, spends his earnings and lets no 
schnapps escape. One object of this custom is to encourage liberality and a 
hail-fellow-well-met spirit among the crew. 

"The ceremony of baptism is very interesting. Every officer of the. 
American fleet at Manila attended it if he were lucky enough to get an invi- 
tation. A throne is rigged up for Father Neptune, and an immense tub is 
improvised out of a sail or tarpaulin on the deck. This is filled with water, 
and around the edges stand variously dressed people in all sorts of disguises, 
mostly like those worn by Calithumpian paraders in the United States. At a 
given signal the monitor is ordered by Neptune to read a list of the offender's 
crimes, which usually consist of undue frugality and sobriety. Neptune 
waves his trident and issues a stern order, which is executed by his grotesque 
minions, who catch the luckless wight, all dressed, by the neck and pitch him 
headforemost into the big basin, where he is allowed to flounder around till 
thoroughly soaked. 

An Amusing Athletic Game. 

'' The most interesting athletic game aboard ship is the obstacle race. 
The chief task is to get through life preservers swung from a rope and oscil- 
lating with every lurch of a ship. It is exceedingly difficult for even a trained 
athlete to get through one, if the sea is at all nasty, without making most 
ludicrous failures. 

" Slinging the monkey is a name given to a performance that justifies 
its peculiar name. The legs of the 'monkey' — usually a careful, methodical 
man — are first of all slung up by means of ropes and pulleys. Then the 
victim is given a piece of chalk, and with this he is expected to lean forward 
and write dictated love letters on the ship's deck. Or he may be called upon 
to show his skill as an artist. 

" At the same time, you can't expect fine technique and firmness of out- 
line, considering the circumstances ; for one thing, the draughtsman hasn't a 
free hand. The knowing 'monkey' will probably wait until the ship has 
lurched one way, then he will attempt a little lightning sketching before she 
has time to right herself. Occasionally it is not the chalk, but the artist's 
nose, which scrapes the deck. 

"A delightful uncertainty always attends any function at sea — athletic 
or otherwise — fo' the lurch of th ship will give peculiar force to the adage 



216 THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 

that the ' best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley.' This gives a 
peculiar zest to the egg-and-spoon race. The starters are placed in a row 
and each is provided with an egg which is to be carried in a spoon held at 
arm's length. The one reaching the winning post first v/ith egg intact is de- 
clared the winner, 

" Needless to say, this race is not necessarily to the swift ; rather is it to 
the adroit and strategic. It is very funny to watch the competitors. One 
^vill hold the spoon low down, so that if the egg does fall out, it won't get 
broken ; another will make a frantic dash, trusting to luck and the ship's 
steadiness ; while a third will perhaps deposit the egg in some one's lap, 
greatly to his disgust. 

" The wheelbarrow race on board ship is ten times as amusing as it is at 
a country fair. The barrows are in this instance seamen who do not fear a 
rush of ' brains to the head ' and do not mind getting down on their hands 
while their legs are held high in air and used to propel the owner toward the 
goal. The rolling of the vessel pitches wheelbarrow and pusher together in 
a heap, convulsing the onlookers with laughter. 

Story of a Wonderful Harpist. 

" Many a story is told of the stray bits of life history, romance or trag- 
edy, seldom or never comedy, which occasionally become known on board 
men-o'-war. Men who have been unfortunate, or who have been weak, or 
who were foolish, often seek refuge on board these boats, knowing that the dis- 
cipline will do them good and the experiences of new life will freshen and 
strengthen them in needed ways. 

" One story is told of a Jack Tar who developed into a most wonderful 
harpist. It happened that at Newport the officers of one of the cruisers gave 
a luncheon aboard to some of the fashionable folk of that resort. One of the 
ladies of the party, a harpist, had her instrument brought along by a servant, 
and she played for the party in the mess-room. The music was exceedingly 
sweet and moving, and the lady was lionized. 

" When she had concluded her performance one of the bluejackets was 
called aft by an officer to remove the harp from the mess-room and place it 
in the steam-cutter, to be taken ashore. The bluejacket happened to be an 
ordinary seaman of no particular account, who from the time the strains from 
the mess-room had struck up had listened at the gangway with a peculiar 
light in his eye. He was a Welshman, a member of the multitudinous Jones 
family. He brought the instrument to the gangway, hesitated for a moment 
as if wondering if he dared or not, and then jerked the cover from the harpj, 
grabbed a ditty box for a seat, and then sat him down to play the harp. 



THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 217 

" That ancient and noble instrument is rarely played in these days as this 
rough-looking- Welsh blue-jacket played it. The strings were as of gold 
under his touch. His harp music, strong, soft, plaintive and altogether beau- 
tiful, rang over the shi^), and all of the mess-room party were at the gangway 
before half a dozen chords had been struck from the instrument. The blue- 
jacket played on, heedless of the gaze of the people from the after part of the 
ship, and like a man in a trance. 
y" " The owner of the harp, who, of course, knew masterful music better 
tlian any of the others, dissolved into tears over the way the bronzed-faced 
bluejacket handled the instrument, and when he finished he received a ' hand' 
from the party that made him flush very deeply, but he v/as a man who did 
not respond to inquiries. How and where had he learned to play the harp so 
superbly? Oh, he had picked it up years ago — and he went forward. This 
sailor had joined the navy at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on board the receiving- 
ship Vermont, and he gave his occupation as that of a clerk." 

One afternoon down in Honolulu harbor Admiral Beardslee, in com- 
mand of the Pacific Squadron from the flagship Philadelphia, was in a quandary 
because of the unexpected arrival of the Australian steamer a day ahead of 
time, that was to carry the fleet's mail to San Francisco. The admiral had a 
voluminous report to make on the situation in Honolulu — this was during the 
last Hawaiian revolution — and he had only three hours in which to draw up 
the report, for the Australian steamer could not, of course, wait. 

An Expert on the Typewriter. 

The admiral came out of his cabin and told the officer of the deck at 
the gangway to send ashore with all haste for somebody who could take rapid 
dictation on a typewriting machine. A young landsman, who had been a 
good deal of a mufif at " sailoring," overheard the admiral giving this order, 
and he walked up to Beardslee, knuckled his forehead in the usual manner, 
and volunteered to do the work. The admiral looked at the landsman with- 
out much confidence in his gaze. 

" What kind of a typewriter do you handle ? " he asked the recruit. 

" Any kind," was the reply. 

The admiral took the landsman recruit aft and began to dictate trial 
stuff to the bluejacket. The bluejacket rattled the copy off in a .^tyle that 
opened the admiral's eyes. Beardslee dictated his report to the lightning- 
swift bluejacket typewriter, the words hardly falling from his lips before the 
landsman had them pat. The admiral took the pages one by one. There 
wasn't a mistake in spelling, punctuating or paragraphing. The copy was 
absolutely clean, although the admiral had dictated at the rate of 90 words a 



218 THE RALEIGH FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. 

minute. The Australian steamer carried Beardslee's report, and the landsman 
was immediately rated admiral's yeoman, or private secretary. The blue= 
jacket had been a court stenographer in New York City. 

One night about three years ago, when most of the officers, including 
the surgeon, of a gunboat lying in San Francisco harbor were ashore attending 
a social function, a newly shipped coal heaver, whose occupation on the rolls 
was that of a laborer, fell down the hatchway ladder from the main deck tO' 
the machine shop. There was no one in the machine shop at the time. The 
coal heaver, with his legs, the right one badly broken, dangling in the air, 
walked on his hands from the machine shop up forward to the sick bay. 
where some of the bluejackets picked him up and deposited him on a couch. 
The coal heaver told the men that his leg was broken, and one of them rushed 
to report the case to the officer of the deck. 

The officer of the deck sent for the apothecary. The apothecary told 
the officer of the deck that he didn't have the skill to set broken legs. A big, 
indolent marine, a recruit, whose only capability thus far had seemed to con- 
sist in the getting on the outside of three very heavy " squares " a day, heard 
the excitement from his hammock where he was dozing. The big marine 
tumbled out of his hammock, went to the sick bay, and set the coal heaver's 
broken leg in a style that aroused the admiration of the surgeon when he 
returned to the ship after midnight. 

From a Circus to a Warship. 

All hands wondered how the coal heaver had managed to walk on his 
hands from the machine shop forward to the sick bay until he admitted that 
he had been a professional acrobat ashore, and that he had shipped in the 
navy because the circus with which he last traveled had gone to pieces in San 
Francisco, leaving him stranded in the hardest town in which to go broke in 
the Western Hemisphere. The big, indolent marine who set the coal heaver's 
broken leg had to admit to the surgeon that he had been graduated in surgery 
years before, and had done his tour in several famous English hospitals before 
he drifted into the sea-soldiering service. 

" How did you happen to enter the marine corps ? " inquired the surgeon. 

" Rum," laconically replied the marine. 

"A bluejacket who put in a three-year enlistment as a deck-hand, took 
his discharge from the navy a couple of years ago while his ship was at 
Yokohama, Japan, and got a job as a shipping clerk. A couple of weeks after 
he went to work ashore one of his shipmates was arrested and locked up, 
charged with stabbing a jinriksha Jap. The sailor was tried before the con- 
sular court, but before his trial came off his ship left Yokohama for China. 



THE RALEIGH VlRKl) THE FIRST SHOT 210 

The former-blucjackct conducted his shipmate's defense before the consular 
court, and he conducted it so ably and with such a fine knowledge of law 
that his man-'of-war's man client was acquitted. The former-bluejacket lawyer 
had been, in his day, the junior partner in a well-known legal firm in St. Louis. 

" When the officers of one of our cruisers on the Mediterranean station 
were giving a dance aboard one night about a year ago, the ship's dynamo 
broke down and all the lights on the ship went out at once. The swell con- 
gregation of American tourists and foreigners were in the midst of a waltz 
on the main deck at the moment of the extinguishment of the lights, and the 
women fell into a panic. 

" Then a bluejacket, who had shipped aboard in New York City a few 
months before, when the cruiser started on her Mediterranean trip, turned up 
in the dynamo-room. He sized up the dynamo with the air of a man who 
knew dynamos down to the ground, and, while the officers and chief gunner's 
mate stood by watching him wonderingly, he made a few little adjustments 
with a wrench, and the dynamo started to whirr, and the ship immediately 
became a blaze of light again. The landsman was down on the rolls as a 
laborer. But he had put in an apprenticeship of seven years at Mr. Edison's 
electrical works, and he is about the most valuable electrician— a chief petty 
officer — in the Navy to-day." 

THE PEACEFUL COLONEL. 

Day call him "Kunnel" in time er peace — 

Hit's " Kunnel " all erbout, 
But he des so private when war come roun' 

Dat de folks can't fin' him out! 

You bet, he a private den, 

En one er de home guard men 1 

Dey hunt erbout 

Fer ter fin' him out, 
But you bet, he a private den ! 

Hit's " Kunnel " dis, en '• Kunnel" dat, 

En de voters sing an' shout ; 
But de war don't know whar he livin' at— 

Dey des can't fin' him out ! 

You bet, he a private den, 

En one er de home guard men ! 

He done, fer sho' ! 

He des lay low — 
You bet, he a private den ! 

— Atlanta Cofistitution. 




CHAPTER XIII. 
On Board the Olympia with Dewey. 

NDER the Stars and Stripes and under such a com- 
mander as Admiral Dewey, it is a privilege and an 
honor for any man to serve his country. Yet little 
did any one imagine on that January day of 1898 
when Rear Admiral McNair hauled down his flag 
from the Olympia's masthead and Dewey, then Com- 
modore, hoisted his in its place, that a Nelson had 
come for victory and conquest. Destined to greatness, 
his looks showed his determination to fulfill that 
destiny. From the moment he stepped on the quarter-deck of the Olympia 
the men liked him, and he had not been long among them before this feeling 
deepened into love and respect. He was born to command, and he com- 
manded in a way that won for him the hearts of officers and men. 

The early part of his career on board was rather uneventful, but not 
devoid of interest. Everything for the benefit of his men received Dewey's 
earnest attention. Mmstrel troops, boat-racing, foot and base-ball, and, in 
short, everything in the line of amusement was certain of the Commodore's 
patronage. 

Like a Thunderbolt from a Olear Sky. 

Thus things ran along smoothly until the fateful day when the news 
came that the battleship Maine had been blown up in the harbor of Havana. 
The men had been preparing to celebrate Washington's Birthday, without 
any thoughts of trouble, when suddenly the fearful calamity came upon them 
like a thunder-bolt from a clear sky. It was a terrible blow. Comrades, 
brothers, friends all hurled into eternity by the ruthless hand of treachery ; 
sorrow and desolation brought to hundreds of hearts and homes ; gray-haired 
mothers bewailing the loss of their sons ; loving wives eagerly scanning the 
] papers, dreading yet hopmg, and anxious sweethearts watching for the return 
of their loved ones. It is a picture to make the heart ache. 

And now the talk is of war and of drawn swords. Every cablegram is 
eagerly watched and Manila becomes the Mecca of the U. S. fleet in Asiatic 
waters. But what of Dewey? Quiet, cool, composed but determined, he 
220 



ON BOARD THE OLYMPIA WITIT DEWEY. 



221 



plans and executes with the precision of one that understands the situation, 
and is capable of holding the reins in this trying moment. Well he knows 
the duties of his position, for has he not the blood of a line of heroes in his 
veins ? 

He knows what to do and does it. Early in April he purchased for the 
U. S. Government the coal-laden steamer Nan Shan, and a few days later' 
he bought the Zafire, the doughty little steamer 
that did such excellent work on dispatch duty. 

The entire fleet was ordered to assemble at 
Honsf Kong. Still unaware of how far matters 
had gone, but not to be caught napping, Dewey 
gave orders to paint ships "war color" and 
accordingly on the 19th of April all the vessels 
began to put on the sombre blue-black of battle. 

The arrival of the Baltimore with ammuni- 
tion was now anxiously looked forward to. On 
the 2 1st of April she arrived and was immedi- 
ately docked and painted in preparation for the 
coming struggle. The next day the fleet was 
to proceed to Mir's Bay, distant about 26 miles 
from Hong Kong, but owing to an accident to 
the Raleigh's engines, she, the Olympia and 
Baltimore remained in Hong Kong until the 
23rd, on which day the entire fleet consisting of 
nine vessels, six of which were in the fighting 
line, assembled at the afore-named rendezvous. 
Quarter watches were established and a constant 
look-out kept for an attack from the enemy. Dur- 
ing this most trying period the master-mind of 
Dewt.y continually asserted itself. Night and day 
found him ever on the alert, watchful and vigilant, international signal code. 

As an instance of his vigilance we give here a story that has heretofore 
been kept from the public. It was after midnight, the second night after the 
flsfCts' arrival in Mir's Bay; a da.'k, gloomy, stormy-looking sky cast a pa.\f^ 
over the scene. The vessels, with every light extinguished, loomed up, in 
the fitful glare of the lightning, like huge spectres. On board the Olympip, 
everything was silent as the grave. | 

Suddenly the voice ot Commodore Dewey was heard speaking from the 
quarter-deck as calmly as if ordering a glass of water, " What's the matter 
with 3'ou people up there? Tired of living? Turn your searchlight on that 




222 ON BOARD THE OLYMPIA WITH DEWEY. 

tug off your port bow. Load your six pounders and train them on her. 
Move lively." Then in stentorian tones he shouted : " Tugboat ahoy ! Keep 
well off or I'll blow you out of the water. Do you know this is war time ? " 
Above the noise of the coming storm and the breaking of the sea against 
the ship's sides, he had heard the escaping steam of some vessel and coming 
out of his cabin in his pajamas with eyes and ears made doubly keen by love 
of country and sense of danger, he espied the tug before it was visible to any 
but the sharpest eye on board. Although it proved to be but a boat carrying 
some newspaper men, the incident goes far to show that our country was 
leaning on no broken reed in placing its faith and fate in the hands of George 

Dewey. 

April 25th news arrived confirming the report that war had begun be- 
tween Uncle Sam and the Dons. Dewey called a conference of commanders 
and gave orders that the fleet be ready to " leave and meet the enemy on 

the 27th ! " 

It was an imposing and impressive picture as these great, grim avengers 
swung into line and steamed silently and solemnly in the wake of Dewey's 
vessel. A smile of patriotic pride shone on the face and brightened the eyes 
of the brave Commodore as he glanced back at the small but dauntless line 
so steadily, unquestioningly following his lead. 

Always on the Alert. 

From the day of the squadron's departure for Manila until after the great 
battle, this indefatigable man never went to bed. Sometimes he would sit in 
a chair and " snatch a wink," but the least alarm found him wide awake. 
When on the morning of April 30th, Cape Bolinao was sighted, Dewey was 
on the bridge and from then until one o'clock next day he left that position 
but twice, once to take a cup of coffee and again on arrival at Subig Bay, 
when he adjourned to his cabin for a final conference with the captains of the 
other vessels. 

Night had just fallen when the fleet resumed its journey after reconnoi- 
tering Subig and proceeded very slowly toward Manila Bay. Dewey went 
from lookout to lookout, personally giving them directions to keep a sharp 
and vigilant watch for the enemy. The sky was continually lit by flashes of 
lightning, and these toward the shore greatly resembled signals flashed from 
mountain to mountain. 

One of the lookouts, an apprentice boy, reported these flashes as signals 
to the officer on the bridge. When it was found that he had mistaken the 
lightning for signals the youngster was embarrassed, and noticing this, Dewey 
patted him on the back and said, ''That's right my boy. It is far better to 



ON BOARD THE OLYMPIA WITH DEWEY. 223 

make a mistake like that on the right side than by over-confidence, sacrifice 
yourself and comrades. Never be afraid to err on the right side.'' 

Shortly after midnight, when the brave little fleet was slowly feeling its 
way through the tortuous channel, with the guns of Corregidor, Caballo and 
El Fraile frowning down upon them on either hand, when every nerve was 
strung to its highest tension, every moment expecting the fearful upheaval o^ 
mine or torpedo, Dewey, the indomitable, turned to Captain Gridley and said. 
" A fine night for a smoke, eh Gridley ? It's a pity we can't light up." 

When the guns on El Fraile opened fire he looked back at the other 
vessels which loomed up like grim shadows in the fitful moon-light and said, 
" Well ! well ! they did wake up at last." Shortly after getting out of range of 
these forts the Admiral gave orders that the men be allowed to lay by their 
guns and have coffee, remarking at the same time that he could stand a bowl 
of it himself. 

Just as the first faint streak of dawn began to appear, he steamed slowly 
toward Manila, with " Old Glory " at truck and gaff, looking for the Spanish 
vessels, which, it was rumored, had taken up their position before the city. 
Arriving off Manila, nothing but merchant vessels flying the English flag 
could be seen. Dewey then ordered the McCulloch, Nan Shan and Zafiro to 
lay ofT out of range of the guns. The rest of the fleet then headed for Cavite, 
where the Spanish Navy Yard is, or rather was situated. 

The Admiral Eager for the Battle. 

Just as the fleet swung down from Manila, the guns on Sangley Point 
opened fire, their shots falling short and harmless. As the roar of the first 
gun came across the waters of Manila Bay, Dewey softly rubbed his hands 
together and said to Commander Lamberton, " Lamberton, the ball is opened ! '• 
As soon as the Sp-inish fleet was sighted the order was given to load the port 
batteries. Then spe:iking to Captain Gridley who was in the conning-tower, 
the Commodore said, " Fire when you are ready, Gridley." 

About 8 o'clock word was passed up to the Commodore that there 
were but ninety-five rounds of ammunition loft in the mid-ship magazine. 
Cool and calm as ever was Dewey. " Very well, we'll lay ofT and have some 
breakfast." This in the face of the knowledge that he was in an enemy's 
harbor, far from home and no refuge in case the Spaniards were to find him 
in such a plight. 

On investigation it was found that there was plenty of ammunition, so 
after breakfasting and having a much-needed rest the fleet again steamed in 
for the final round. The outcome has been blazoned around the world in 
every tongue, and the name of the gallant hero that led the little squadron to 



224 ON BOARD THE OLYMPIA WITH DEWEY. 

victory, is a household word on the lips of every child and enshrined in the 
hearts of his countrymen. 

After the surrender of Cavite, Dewey steamed up off Manila where he 
lay until a representative of the Spanish Governor-General came on board. 
The Commodore then demanded the surrender of all the forts at the entrance 
to the bay. Two days later the same official came on board, stating that 
Dewey's demands had been complied with and that they were willing to sur- 
render the city too. Again his master mind saved Dewey from making a 
false step. Well he knew the attitude of the natives toward the Spanish and 
that with his handful ol men he could not police the town and guarantee 
protection for its inhabitants. He refused to accept the surrender of the city. 
This occasioned another delay. In the meantime, Dewey had cut one cable, 
but found later that there was still another running to one of the other islands. 

Next day. May 4th, the representative again came off with the surrender 
of Corrcgidor, El Fraile, Cabalao and Mariveles. Ever on the alert, Dewey 
gave Captain Coghlan of the Raleigh orders to take the Spanish officer on 
board his vessel, then together with the Baltimore to go up to the forts named 
and dismantle them, "and," concluded the Commodore, at the first sign of 
treachery, " hang or shoot that man." 

Generous Treatment of the Enemy. 

In every way the brave, magnanimous conqueror, the humane instinct 
common to truly brave men showed itself fully developed in George Dewey. 
After the battle of Manila Bay, when hundreds of the enemy lay maimed, 
wounded and dying, when the noble Sisters of Mercy and brave men and 
women were coping with all manner of difficulties in caring for the unfortu- 
nates, lacking shelter, food and medicine and continually in dread of the sav- 
age, relentless natives who spared neither woman, child or wounded man, 
this hero, always prepared in emergencies, sent ashore nurses, doctors and 
armed men to protect our friends, the enemy, to bury their dead, care for 
their wounded and to furnish them with food and shelter. Deeds to be re- 
membered and truly worthy of an American. 

During the trying days of the blockade until the taking of Manila, the 
vigilance of Dewey seemed to see and grasp every situation. Day after day 
found him conferring with and directing the commanders of the other vessels, 
and at almost any hour of the night he could be seen walking the quarter- 
deck of the Olympia, ever on the watch. He knew his responsibility and 
gloried in doing more than even his duty called for. 

If there was ever any doubt of Dewey's popularity it would certainly 
have been dispelled when the cablegram was re?^ to the crews, stating that 



ON BOARD Tin: OLYMPIA WITH OKWT-.Y. 



225 



te had been promoted to Rear Admiral. Such cheering liad never been 
equaled. Three times three and a tiger were given for the idol of the fleet, 
and that they were given with vigor, can be easily imagined. 

When the news reached the fleet that Admiral Camara was coming with 
another squadron, the Americans were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 
Monterey to reinforce the fleet at Manila, One day word came that Camara 
had entered the Suez Canal, and Dewey was asked what course he would 
pursue in the event of their arrival at Manila. " Do," he said, " why go out 
to Tiicet them and win another victory or a moument!" Weigh the meaning 




M.^P SHOWING TERRITORY OF GREATER AMERICA. 

of that remark ; mark the conclusiveness of it and the patriotic heroism 
exemplified in every word. '^Another victory or a monument ! " "Victory 
or death." Camara never reached Manila, but if he had there would be no 
blemish on the name of Dewey or the fair Hmie of the little fleet he com- 
manded. His motto was, " My Country." 

At the taking of Manila, August 13th. our hero again displayed that 
humanity and consideration that has made him the idol of all tliat know him. 
After the fall of Malate the fleet .«;teamed opposite the Luneta Battery. This 
fort being right in the heart of the city, Dewey wishing to avoid the shedding 
of innocent blood, hoisted the signal, " Do you surrender ? " This was shoi tly 
after 10 o'clock, and until after 2 no answer had been seen About ten min- 
utes pa-^t two the Belgian Consul came off .md said the city had surrendered. 
15-D 



226 ON BOARD THE OLYMPIA WITH DEWEY. 

He pointed out a white flag that had been flying in answer to the signal and 
which, owing to the background, could haidly be seen. Had Dewey been 
anything but the cool, considerate man he is, the apparently long delay in 
answering the demand for surrender, might have ended in horrible bloodshed 
and tragedy. He was the right man in the i ight place. 

When the American flag was hoisted over the walls of Manila, the Ad^ 
miral heaved a deep sigh of joy and ejaculated, " At last! " Two little words, 
but they speak volumes as of the lifting of an almost too heavy burden from 
^hose heroic shoulders. 

First Mail After the Battle of Manila Bay. 
The first mail since the eventful Battle of Manila; the first link between 
home and these heroes in their far-off field of glory ; the first word of love, 
joy and tenderness from father, mother, wife or sweetheart. What a tumult 
of joy, uncertainty and fear arises in the brawny breasts of these blue-s-hirted 
sons of Neptune at sight of those striped bags that contain the long-delayed, 
long-wished-for missives from home and loved ones. 

Eagerly they gather around the master-at-arms as he reads off name 
after name. Letters and packages are passed to eagerly extended hands. 
Little tokens of love from home, cards and presents of all descriptions are 
passed around for examination, each one partaking somewhat in the pleasure 
of the lucky recipient. 

But the picture of simple pleasure is suddenly transformed and the happy 
looks change to one of anxiety and apprehension as the fatal black-bordered 
envelope is drawn from the bag, and the sympathy expressed in word, look 
and deed as the poor fellow to whom it is addressed, breaks down under the 
cruel blow. Ah ! it is a touching sight, touching indeed. But the letters of 
congratulation. Exuberant, joyful American congratulations ! 

Aft in his cabin Dewey sat over a mail bag containing over a thousand 

letters. His face was wreathed in smiles. Aided by Commander Lamberton 

and Lieutenant Brumby, missive after missive was read. Every phase of 

American patriotism was represented ; effusive, warm-hearted, joyful, impul- 

•sive, but all similar in that one respect, patriotic to the last stroke of the pen. 

Each and every one was read with most minute exactitude and when, 

late into the morning, the last letter was laid aside, the delighted Admiral 

sprang to his feet with the agility of a boy of ten, tears of pleasure shining 

in the kindly eyes, and clapping Commander Lamberton on the back he 

cried, " Lamberton, this is fame! This is glory! I think more of these 

plaudits from my countrymen than of all the rank and wealth and title this 

world holds 1 " Then turning to Brumby, he said in a voice made husky by 



ON BOARD TIIK OLVMPIA WITH DHWEY. 22 



/J/ 



emotion, " Mr. Brumby, take care of every one of those letters, take care of 
them, for they are from our friends." 

Boat-racing, base and foot-ball were the chief pastimes to the American 
men-o'-wars' men on the Asiatic Station. In all of these sports, Dowey took 
the greatest interest, doing all in his power to aid the men in obtaining every- 
thing deemed necessary to assure success for their side. 

As a Promoter of Sports. 

Shortly before the war became a certainty, a ten-oared cutter race took 
place between a boat from the Raleigh and another from the Olympia at 
Hong Kong. The Raleigh's boat had so far won every race -in which it 
entered at home and abroad, and was therefore, the favorite in the coming 
event. On the other hand " The Yellow Kid," as the Olympia's boat was 
called, had never raced before. The betting at first was very slow until one 
day, a certain Mr. Harper, a popular hotel-keeper of Hong Kong, came to 
the Olympia with " all kinds of money " to bet on the Raleigh's boat. The 
men were at first rather shy of betting, standing around the deck in groups 
discussing the situation and the advisibility of standing for bigger odds on 
the other boat. 

Suddenly they straightened up and stood to " attention," there was a hasty 
whispjr of, " Here comes the Admiral," as Dewey came along the deck. 
When he arrived opposite the men, his keen eye detected something wrong. 
Stopping before the group where Harper was standing he said, " What's the 
trouble, boys ? " "Well, yer see, Admiral," said one of the men, saluting, 
" this plug is betting on the Raleigh's boat and we want bigger odds, as our 
boat never raced before." Harper here interposed with some remark to the 
effect thnt the boat might be as good as the Raleigh's, even if she had never 
raced before. 

" Might be I " repeated the incensed Admiral, " might be! why hang it, 
man, I never bet nor do I encourage betting, but I'll lay you fifty dollars that 
she's not only as good, but better ! " 

This was the signal for such cheering as made Dewey flush to the roots 
of hi- h ir and his enthusiasm found so swift an echo among the men that 
before ten minutes had passed Mr Harper was compelled to call a halt. 
' The news went through the ship like wildfire. "The Admiral's got fifty 
up on ' The Yellow Kid ! '" " Dewey's betting on our boat ! " etc., and the 
men that had hitherto been trying to instill confidence enough in the crew to 
get up a purse, now found not only thrir hands, but the canvas bag that rep- 
resented the purse, full to overflowing. 

At last the long-looked-for day of the race arrived. The weather was 



528 



ON BOARD THE OLYMPTA WITH DEWEY. 



Yankee boat-race meant 
a cood. hard race and 



beautiful, calm and clear. The Admiral, as usual, gave orders that the racing 
crew be excused from all duty, and they spent the morning in sleep and a little 
necessary exercise. Long before the race the harbor was dotted v/ith all 
manner of craft, for in this English colony of Hong Kong the people were 
, — aware of the fact that a 

TBvcninQ Entertainments 

Horizontal Bar. W. Smith, J. E. Wallace, S. Fefguson. 

Comic Song by W. Fremgen. "'The Man That Lost Hia Ship 
and saved the Cargo." 

Recitation. . L. S. Youug. 

Serio-Comio Song With Topical Verses. J. J. Vanderveer. 

The Great Piccolo Virtuoso. J. E. Wallace. 

Fun in Gym. 8. Ferguson, 3. E. Wallace, W. Smith. 

Comic Song, "MoGinty the Swell of the Say." T. P. Toohey. 

Recitation (Orig.) "Yankee Tars in Manila Bay." J. E. Coithurat. 

"On Your Way Nigger, On Your Way." 

As Sung For The First Time in The Colonies. 

W. T. Baxter and W. T. Moljie, 

"La Loie, In Her Terpsichorean Fantasia." W, Fremgen. 

THE RIVALS. 

Produced For The First Time on The Stage. 

Jimmie (The Baker.) T. P. Toohey. 

Sam (A Chimney Sweep.) J. E. Wallace. 

Polly (A Servant.) 0. J. Dutreaux. 

Hutton & Hallett. Smith & Dutreaux. 

Olympian Colored Babies. 

In Their Original Song and Dance Specialty. 



BLACK JUSTICE. 
One Act Faboe. 
Judge (Pro-tem.) 
Finnegan (Court Crier.) 

Solicitors. i 

Dancing Girls. > 

Billy the Pug. 
The Embezzler. 
The Poor Man. 
Joe the Dancer. 

"Star Spangled Banner." 



J . E. Wallace. 

T. P. Toohey. 

8. Ferguson. 

J. L. &llett. 

C. J. Dutreaux. 

. W. T. MoNifif. 

J. B. Anderson. 

W. Baxter. 

W. Smith. 

J. W. Smith, 



one well worth seeing. 

The Admiral invited 
his hosts of friends to 
view the race from^ the 
Olympia, and shortly 
after noon, the vessel was 
rainbow-hued with visi- 
tors. About 2 o'clock 
the boats were towed to 
the starting point amid 
the cheering of the spec- 
tators. The rigging, 
fighting-tops and bridges 
ivere crowded, each try- 
ing to get a first glimpse 
of the boats as they raced 
in. The race was to be 
for a distance of four 
miles, and it was impos- 
sible at that distance tr 
distinguish the boats. 

Dewey, with a group 
of friends, stood on the 
forward bridge with a 
pair of glasses, eagerly 
watching for a sign of 



Fac-sitnile of Programme for Evening Entertainment on Thanksgiving Day, 
Nov. 24, 1898, on board Admiral Dewey's Flngship Olympia. Reproduced from 
the original Programme printed on board. 



the incoming boats. One 
youngster, perched far 
up on the fore truck, waving a broom, kept up a continual howl of "Who's 
ahead ? " and another on the cros.strees would answer with a yell of " cab- 
bage.'' A continual cross fire of badinage was kept up between the mem- 
bers of the different factions representing the respective ships. " Hey, old 
sheep-shank ! how much did you bet ? You'll be eating cracker hash and 



ON BOARD THE OLYMl'IA WiTIi DEWEY. 



229 



U.S. FLAGSHIP OLYM^IA. 

€av\tt, Jpt)Uipptne ielanbs, Noo. 24, 1898. 



salt horse after this race ! " were some of the shots hurled from side to side. 
Dewey enjoyed all this hugely and would laugh as heartily as any at the 
different sallies as either side scored a point. 

Suddenly there is a 
yell and then silence. 
" Here they come ! " 
Two scintillating specks 
could be seen in the dis- 
tance, and the lucky pos- 
sessor of glasses becomes 
the centre of attraction. 
" Who's ahead ? " " The 
Raleigh! " is the answer- 
ing shout. This is fol- 
lowed by a deafening 
medley of cheers and 
groans. 

And now the boats 
draw near, followed by a 
fleet of tugs and launch- 
es, with whistles blowing 
and passengers cheering 
and urging on their fa- 
vorites. 

Nip and tuck it is, 
neither boat seeming to 
have any advantage. 
With every nerve and 
sinew strained to its ut- 
most, each man lays 
back, fighting for some 
advantage tliat will in- 
sure victory. 

Dewey took one 
long look through his 



March. 


"Independence." 


8atta. 


Overture. 


'War Songs of the Boys in Blue.' 


Laurendaan. 


Selection. 


"Robin Hood." 


Wiegand. 


March. 


"Nancy Lee." 


Arr. Valifuoco. 


Schottieche. 


"Dancing in the Bam." 


ClauB. 


Waltz. 


"Papa's Baby Boy." 


Bray. 


Selection. 


"Plantation Songs." 


Conterno. 


March. 


"La Fiesta." 


Ronoovieri. 


Waltz. 

3 


"On the Beautiful Rhine." 


Melber. 


March. 


"On the Bowery." 


M£M:kie. 


Dance. 


"Indian War." 


Bellstodt, 


Characteristic. 


"Salvation Army." 


Orth. 


March. 


"Liberty Bell." 


Souso, 


Waltz. 


"Visions of Paradise." 


Bennet 


March. 


"American." 
"Star Spangled Banner." 


Ripley. 



.1 



M. VALIFDOCO BANDMASTER. 




F.ic-simile of ProKramme for Th.inksgiving Day celebration on board Admira' 
Dewey's Flagship Oiyrapia. Reproduced from tiie ori>;inal programme. 

(L^lasses and turning to some gentlemen standing near he said, "Our boat 
will win. Eck.strom is .saving his rrew for the finish." Then turning to 
one of the men he continued, " McKenna. make ' twenty-one ' with the siren." 
Twenty-one in the signal code is the Olympia's initinl letter " O " and as the 
shrill scream ol tiic siren cut the air, it told the brave boys in the boat that 



230 ON BOARD THE OLYMPIA WITH DEWEY. 

they had friends watching them, put new life in their wearied frames and 
energy in their throbbing muscles. " The Yellow Kid " sprang ahead like a 
thing of life gaining nearly a length. 

Now they near the finish. Whistles are tooting, men howling and ladies 
waving their snowy handkerchiefs. The Admiral leaned far over the rail, 
cheering and calling the men by name. It is a scene of indescribable excite- 
ment. The Raleigh's crew make one final, gallant spurt. But it is too late. 
They cross the line just half a second after the " Yellow Kid," less than three 
feet from bow to bow, thus ending one of the closest races in the history of 
our navy. 

As the racing crew are helped over the gangway, one by one, Dewey 
met them and shook them each by the hand, saying, " I knew it ! I knew it! 
Boys, you can't be beaten ! " When Harper came on board to pay the bets, 
the Admiral button-holed him and said, " Mr. Harper don't you think the 
* Yellow Kid ' might be better than the other boat ? " 

The Admiral Congratulates his Men. 

" Well Admiral," said Harper good-naturedly, " I am only sorry I didn't 
follow your example with the rest of the boys." 

That evening Dewey called the racing crew into his cabin, and after con- 
gratulating them on their victory, presented them with the hundred dollars 
of his bet, the fifty he had put up and the fifty he had won, "for," he said, 
" if it had not been for you I would have lost it anyway," and cutting short 
their thanks with a pleasant laugh, he shook hands with them all again and 
bowed them out. 

The first Thanksgiving after the battle of Manila was hailed by the men 
of Dewey's fleet with delight. They all felt they had much to be thankful for, 
and their rejoicing over victory was mingled with sweet thoughts of ^ <?me and 
loved ones far away. On board the Olympia there was an elaborate c^'ebra- 
tion of the day and copies of the programmes are here inserted. 




CHAPTER XIV. 
Our Soldier Boys in the Battle and Fall of Manila. 

E extract additional accounts of the capture of Manila and the gal- 
lant exploits of the American troops, from the columns of The 
Boiaiding Billozu, which, as already stated, was the official organ 
of Admiral Dewey's fleet and was published on board the Olympia, 
the Admiral's flagship. 

" Manila, Aug. 13th. — At nine o'clock this morning the fleet formed in line 
of battle and stood in towards the city, battle-flags flying and crews at quar- 
ters, ready for action. A combined attack on Manila by the army and navy 
was to take place, the vessels, in the event of resistance, to bombard the forts 
and batteries along the water front. At the signal to prepare for action the 
ships formed in line, flagship leading with the Callao and Monterey on either 
flank until near Malate. 

"We formed opposite Malate fort, with the Callao and the tug Barcelo 
standing close in shore to support the troops, and the Olympia, Raleigh and 
Petrel laying opposite the fort. The Charleston, Baltimore, Monterey, and 
Boston formed a line of support, Concord and McCulloch guarding Pasig 
river. 

Shots That Did Terrible Damage. 

"At 9.55 the ball was opened by a shot from the flagship as a reminder 
that we were still on earth. Receiving no reply we stood in closer and fired 
again, followed by the Petrel and Callao. The Raleigh then formed into line 
and opened fire. A desultory fire was kept up for some time, but we got no 
return, although the Callao and Barcelo received several volleys from small 
arms and light guns. 

" Our shots did terrible damage and execution in the fort, which was also 
engaged by the field batteries of the army. A single shot from one of the 
vessels engaged passed clean through the fort, making a breech in the wall 
large enough to admit of the passage of a horse and carriage. Things were 
getting too warm around Malate, and the Spaniards vacated the fort and 
retreated into the woods toward Manila. 

"At 10.32 the signal was made to cease firing, and our troops could be 
•<een charging up the beach as only Yankee soldiers know how to charge, and 
the wish of the Spanish soldier that wanted to meet us on dry land, was grati- 
fied to more than his heart's content 

2di 



.J2 



OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 



"Just as six bells (ii o'clock) struck, the Stars and Stripes were hoisted 
over Malate fort by a soldier of the First Colorado, but who, sad to say, was 
shot dead by a Spanish sharpshooter. It, however, is a great consolation to 
us, his fellow patriots, to know that he died in what was undoubtedly the 
happiest moment of this brave fellow's life, hoisting the flag of the country 
he died for in the land of the enemy. 

" Meanwhile the army, the Callao keeping on its flank, advanced towards 

" Manila. The Barcelo, under the command of Cadet White, had ventured 

dangerously close to the beach, doing great damage with her * forecastle baU 

tery " (one machine-gun). Governor-General Merritt and staff followed the 

engagement from the U. S. S. Zafiro. 

"After the Spanish flag was lowered from over Malate, the fleet stood up 
towards the city and lay off the Luneta battery. This being in the heart of 
the city. Admiral Dewey wishing to avoid unnecessary shedding of blood and 
the inevitable slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, hoisted a signal ask- 
ing them to surrender. Not seeing any answer to this, his humane instincts 
prompted him to make a further concession, and he sent Flag Lieutenant 
Brumby, accompanied by two sigaal boys carrying a huge American flag, 
ashore in the launch of the Belgian consul flying a flag of truce, to demand 
the surrender of the city, from the Spanish governor-general. 

Guns Ready to Belch Forth Death. 

" Meanwhile the Monterey had steamed into position on our starboard 
quarter, where she lay grim and formidable with her powerful guns trained 
on the fort ready at the signal to belch forth death and destruction on the 
enemy. The crews were all at quarters, but such a small incident as war 
could not keep us from our meals, and promptly at twelve o'clock we went 
to dinner, and, although on the alert for the least alarm, we enjoyed the meal 
hugely. 

"At 2.20 Lieutenant Brumby returned with a copy of the surrender of 
the city. The news was signalled to the fleet, and was received with three 
rousing cheers by the crews of each vessel. The hoisting of our flag was 
delayed until General Merritt could be landed, and Lieutenant Brumby imme- 
diately went to the Zafiro and returned to Manila with the General. 

"At 5.40 the Spanish flag was lowered and 'Old Glory' flung to the 
breeze over the walls of Manila. The flag was hoisted by Apprentices 
Edward P. Stanton of Louisville, Ky., and Samuel Ferguson of Syracuse, 
N. Y., under the direction of Flag Lieutenant Brumby, all of the Olympia. 
One army officer was present. As the Spanish flag was lowered in the dust 
the Spanish governor-general's family and the Spaniards assembled wept, but 



OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 233 

as the dear old Stars and Stripes went up they began to hiss. As an offset 
to this painful scene a beautiful incident took place. Just as our colors 
reached the truck of the flag-staff, a regimental band entered the walled city 
and, thou£^h they could not be seen by the spectators, they caught sight of 
'Old Glory ' waving proudly over their heads and struck up that tunc so dear 
to the patriot heart, the * Star Spangled Banner,' while cheer on cheer burst 
, from the soldiers as they swung by. 

"On board ship every eye was on the Spanish flag, anxiously await- 
ing its lowering. Suddenly a wild yell is heard : ' There she goes,' and, 
amid the frenzied cheering of the tired but happy men-o'-war's men, our ves- 
sels roared forth a national salute to the dear banner flying so bravely over 
our new territor}'. 

"About 400 A.M., August 13th, reveille was sounded, and by the first 
peep of day Camp Dewey was alive with the bustle and stir of preparation for 
battle. A few unfortunates were left to guard camp during the engagement. 
By seven o'clock the entire army was on the move, and by nine every regi- 
ment and company had taken its position. The army formed in two parts ; 
the advance or fighting line and the reserve. 

Cheers Greeted the Beginning of the Battle. 

"The former consisted of the Eighteenth Infantry, on the right flank sup- 
ported by the Astor battery. The right and left centers were formed by the 
Pennsylvania and First California. The left flank consisted of the Second Ar- 
tillery and Utah Battery. Generals Anderson and Greene commanded this 
line. The reserve, under General MacArthur, consisted of the Colorado, 
Minnesota, two battalions of the First Nebraska, two Idaho battalions, and 
the Wyoming Battalion. These were stationed about one mile from the 
fighting line. 

" When the first gun from the fleet announced the opening of the fitrht 
the soldiers could hardly restrain their cheers. The reserves had participated 
in all the previous engagements, and naturally chafed at their inactivity in 
this engagement, and, no doubt, many of the brave fellows hoped the advance 
would be repulsed, so they might have a chance. 

" Shortly after ten o'clock the firing from the fleet ceased, but the 
fighting line were still at it. They kept steadily advancing on the fort at 
Malate which had evidently been vacated. The Spaniards kept up a desul- 
tory fire from the brush, but did very little harm, and were finally driven 
toward INIanila. The trenches around Malate were filled with dead and 
wounded and gave terrible proof of the destructive fire from the fleet. 

" At last the fort was reached, the Spanish flag hauled down and ' Old 



234 OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA 

Glory ' proudly hoisted in its place. Cheer on cheer rent the air as the flag 
went up, and every man bared his head to the banner he would die for. It 
could plainly be seen that the Spaniards had departed in haste, as thousands 
of rounds of ammunition were left behind. 

" The army again took up its weary march through swamps and bram- 
bles, mud and mire, with water at times up to their arm -pits, making travel 
not only slow, but extremely painful, and proceeded to Manila. Excepting a 
few slight skirmishes along the line of march, no resistance was made until, 
the walls of the city were reached. 

" The First California had the honor of being first to enter the gates of 
the ancient city. While under the walls they were subjected to a galling fire 
from the Spaniards in spite of the fact that a flag of truce was waving in plain 
sight. Colonel * Jim ' Smith pointed to the white flag and vowed that if the 
firing did not cease he would shoot every officer there. They said it was the 
soldiers firing without orders, and it was soon stopped. 

"As the Pennsylvania regiment entered the trenches a band of insurgents 
opened fire on them wounding several. They claimed later that in the 
excitement they mistook our troops for Spaniards. The Wyoming Battalion 
was the first of the reserve to enter Manila, and were also subjected to a fire 
which they were forbidden to return. 

" In the summing up it was found that but seven of our brave soldiers 
had been killed, and seventeen wounded, while the Spanish losses are esti- 
mated at between eight hundred and a thousand. To the credit of our boys 
be it said, not a case of loot or violence did they participate in, and the day 
ended a glorious, unblemished epoch in the history of our army." 

The Terms of Surrender. 
" The undersigned, having been appointed to determine the details of the 
capitulation of the city and defenses of Manila and its suburbs, and the 
Spanish forces stationed therein, in accordance with the agreement entered 
into the previous day by Major-General Wesley Merritt, U. S. Army, Ameri- 
can Commander-in-Chief in the Philippines, and His Excellency Don Fermin 
Jaudencs, Acting General-in-Chief of the Spanish Army in the Philippines, 

"Have Agreed Upon the Following: 
" I. The Spanish troops, European and native, capitulate with the city 
and its defenses, with all the honors of war, depositing their arms in the 
places designated by the authorities of the United States, and remaining in 
quarters designated and under the orders of their officers and subject to con- 
trol of the aforesaid United States authorities, until the conclusion of a treaty 
of peace between the two belligerent nations. 



OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 235 

"All persons included in the capitulation remain at liberty, the officers 
/emaining in their respective homes, which shall be respected as long as they 
observe the regulations prescribed for their government and the laws in force. 

"2. Officers shall retain their side arms, horses and private property. 

"3. All j)ublic horses and public property of all kinds shall be turned 
over to staff officers designated by the United States. 

"4. Complete returns in duplicate of men by organizations, and full lists 
of public property and stores shall be rendered to the United States within 
ten days from this date. 

"5. All questions relating to the repatriation of officers and men of the 
Spanish forces, and of their families, and of the expenses which said repatria- 
tion may occasion, shall be referred to the Government of the United States 
at Washington. Spanish families may leave Manila at any time convenient 
to them. The return of the arms surrendered by the Spanish forces, shall 
take place when they evacuate the city or when the American Army 
evacuates. 

" 6. Officers and men included in the capitulation shall be supplied by 
the United States, according to their rank, with rations and necessary aid as 
though they were prisoners of war, until the conclusion of a treaty of peace 
between the United States and Spain. All the funds in the Spanish treasury 
and all other public funds, shall be turned over to the authorities of the 
United States. 

Protected by American Honor. 

"7. This cicy, its inhabitants, its churches and religious worship, its edu- 
cational establishments, and its private property of all descriptions are placed 
under the special safeguard of the faith and honor of the American Army. 

" F. V. Greene, Brigadier-General of Volunteers, U. S. Army ; B. P. 
Lamberton, Captain U. S. Navy; C. A. Whittier, Lieutenant-Colonel and 
Inspector-General; B. H. Crowder, Lieutenant-Colonel and Judge Advocate; 
Nicolas de la Pena y Cuellar, Auditor-General Exemo ; Carlos Reyes Rich, 
Colonel de Ingenieros ; Jose Maria Olague Fcliu, Coronel de Estado Mayor." 

A writer in a journal called "The Soldier's Letter," published at Manila 
sums up with conspicuous ability the situation after the town was captured. 
The value of his frank statements will be evident to ever}' reader: 

'"Tis quite natural that an army which has been so signally successful in 
all of its operations, as has the army of the Philippines, should, now that its 
every object has been splendidly accomplished and the comparative indolence 
of peace has taken the place of the feverish activity of war. employ much of 
its spare time in self congratulation and laudation It is not vanity, but a 



236 OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 

just pride in the splendid excellence of American chivalry that prompts the 
mutual patting on the back that is continually going on between the different 
commands at present comprising the garrison of this city. 

" Yet I think that the boys, for the most part, mistake the portion of 
their work which does them the most credit and, through an erroneous idea 
of what really constitutes military perfection, give to their fighting qualities 
the praise which more justly belongs to their patience, constancy, determina- 
tion and cheerfulness under unaccustomed hardship and privation. 

" By this I don't mean for a moment to decry the courage of our troops. 
The average American soldier is a born fighter, intelligent and quick to 
understand and to act in any sudden emergency ; cool, calm and with excellent 
judgment he carries out the orders given him in the heat of an engagement 
with a precision and an understanding which causes the observer, trained in 
European schools, to look on and wonder, though he cannot comprehend 
how, in raw volunteer troops, such things can be. As for courage — the entire 
world has for centuries attested to the superiority of the Anglo-vSaxon article. 

Heroes in the Trenches. 

" What I do mean to say is that in the battle of Malate and the so-called 
' assault ' on Manila we have participated in nothing more than a couple of 
slight skirmishes, and to boast of the prodigies of valor there performed is 
merely to make ourselves ridiculous. But the work done by the volunteer 
troops at Camp Dewey, at Cavite and in the trenches is another matter and 
one of which every regiment that participated has reason, and good reason, 
to be justly proud. I know the material of which the volunteer rank and 
file is composed and am fairly well acquainted with the manner of their former 
civil life ; consequently I understand what the boys had to undergo and can 
realize what a night in the trenches, for instance, must have meant to a youth 
Avho had probably, never before known what it was to wear a wet sock. 

" Should one have left one of the American men-of-war anchored in the 
bay midway between Camp Dewey and the city of Manila, and have steered 
his small boat for a point on the shore, marked by a large red iron barge 
hauled up on the beach in an opening made by a break in the grove of bam- 
boo trees which fringe the water's edge, and have chosen as his time of visit 
that hour of the morning between eight and nine, he would, upon landing, 
have found himself behind the iron barge and his gaze would have first rested 
on the immense pile of bags, filled with sand, which, connecting themselves 
with the iron prow of the barge formed a breastwork fifteen feet thick at the 
base and rising to a height of about eight feet where, at its top, the thick- 
ness was from three to five feet. 



OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 237 

"This breastwork, which would have been on his left hand as he faced 
file west, ran across the twenty or thirty feet of sandy beach which it pro- 
tected, and joining a line similar to itself, built on a higher elevation where 
the solid ground rose a couple of feet above the sand of the beach, made 
part of the long line of entrenchments which, beginning at the water's edge, 
stretched, in the form of a crescent, for a distance of about two miles inland, 
and lost themselves in the brush, swamps and overflowed, puddly fields on 
the western side of the Calle Real, which connects Cavite with Manila. 

" About a thousand yards distant to the north, arose the Spanish sand 
bags. Beginning at the water's edge, where Fort Malate protected their 
flank as the iron barge did ours, they stretched inland for about the same dis- 
tance as ours. They were likewise drawn out in the form of a crescent with 
their convex side facing the concave of our own half moon. 

Description of the Battlefield. 

"The interval between the two lines was — save where the white beach 
stretched its smooth, unbroken length — for the most part covered with a 
thick growth of bamboo — though, just in front of the center of our left wing 
and about one hundred and fifty feet from the beach, an open cornfield, some 
hundred yards in width, gave us an unobstructed view of the Spanish works, 
while afibrding them an equally good sight of ours. Just inside our lines 
and directly facing this opening was a large white house, formerly used as a 
monastery. 

" The visitor's gaze would have taken in all these particulars and then 
would have taken in the scenes behind the trenches themselves. First he 
would have encountered a long, muddy ditch, made by the excavations neces- 
sary for the building of the breastworks and running in a parallel line to the 
•works themselves — this ditch was about twenty feet wide and about three feet 
deep and ran to within a half dozen feet of the breastworks, from which it 
was separated by a terrace where the ground had been left untouched. Piled 
on this terrace he would have seen haversacks, blankets and other accoutre- 
ments intersected at every few feet by rifles stacked handy to the grasp of 
the men who lined the entire inside length of the work. 

" Some leaning against the breastworks, some dozing, some with their 
wet and muddy blankets wrapped about them, lying full length on the damp 
ground sound asleep, — here and there groups of two, three or a half dozen 
would be congregated discussing the probability of their relief arriving on time 
and the cook having something warm awaiting them on their return to camp. 
Others would be seen walking quietly up and down endeavoring to restore 
elasticity to their cramped muscles and warmth to their chilled blood. 



238 OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 

" Groups of officers would be noticed sitting silently wrapped in their 
rubber blankets or buying bunches of bananas from the Filipino traders, 
whose love of gain outweighed their sense of danger. All along the line at 
intervals of two or three yards, sentinels would be seen peering over the top 
of the works. Motionless as statues, their brown hats blending with the 
earth they silently watched for the slightest sign of movement from the enemy. 

"Should the visitor have studied the faces of the men he would have found 
much to interest him and much that would have told him what ' trench ' work 
really meant. True, the faces were browned by the sun and roughened by 
wind and rain and weather. But it was not the hardy, bronzed roughness 
produced by more northern climes. 

" It was rather the soft flabby brown, through which the pallor of fatigue 
seen everywhere in the tropics and the whiteness of exhausted nature was 
vainly trying to force itself. Should this same visitor have cared to inquire 
he would have learned that these same men had been twenty-four hours in 
the same position in which he found them. 

Hardships and Heavy Labor. 

" They had come out the morning before, arriving at their post at about 
nine o'clock. Some of them had been on guard duty for the entire night, 
previous to that — some were suffering from sores, which covered the entire 
body ; others were weakened by cramps and dysentery, and all had made the 
three mile-round-about-march which led them to the trenches, packing rifles, 
blankets, haversacks and belts full of ammunition on an insufficent breakfast 
of bad coffee and poor hardtack either because their company cook had not 
been compelled to do his duty or, which is more probable, because their 
quartermaster sergeant had not been compelled to do his. 

** Arriving in the grove of trees back of the trenches, they had been 
halted and, in bunches of six or eight, had dashed across the twenty yards of 
open ground that intervened between the secrecy of the trees and the safety 
of the breastworks. Once in the trenches their work commenced. 

" All day long they had labored digging and filling bags which were no 
sooner full than they were taken on shoulder and carried to the place they 
were to occupy in the creation of new works or the strengthening of the old. 
In many cases there had not been enough picks and shovels provided and 
the supply of bags had run short. Whereupon the boys had turned up the 
soft muddy ground with sharpened sticks, carried it to the breastworks on 
flat boards and patted it into place with their bare hands. All the previous 
morning they had done this work cheered by the prospect of something with 
which to fill their empty stomachs when noon should arrive. 



OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 20:) 

" Noon arrived, so did one o'clock, two o'clock likewise passed, but iic 
grub. Fiiiall}', when the latter hour was about thirty minutes old the cook 
and his assistants had put in an appearance and cold coffee was served to 
wash down hardtack and canned meat. After dinner, work had been re- 
sumed and was kept up until darkness made further labor impossible. The 
latter part of the afternoons, work had been enlivened by the Spanish sharp- 
shooters who blazed away whenever they had a chance at men who were 
forbidden to reply to them. 

" With the going down of the sun, which had been torrid in the intensity 
of its heat all day, the stars came out and the guards were doubled. One 
man from each squad was placed peering over the top of the works where he 
remained for one hour when he was relieved by the next in line. When not 
on guard he was allowed to sit down and rest, but he could neither sleep nor 
could he walk from the place allotted to him in the line of breastworks. 
Several times alarms had been given and each man had sprung to his post. 
They had been mistakes, however, due to the heated imagination of some 
sentry who mistook a line of trees for a line of troops. 

" At about ten o'clock in the evening, the Spaniards had opened on the 
works with the guns of their Malate battery, and for a couple of hours the 
' boys in brown ' had been compelled to lay low and listen to shells of various 
sizes and sorts whistle above and about them. 

Heaven's Batteries Opened. 

" Receiving no reply, the Spaniards had, at length, desisted and the 
heavens had opened their batteries, pelting the troops with rain and wind for 
the entire balance of the night. Rubber blankets and ponchos had proved 
to be but poor material with which to ward off a tropical rain storm, and the 
boys, drenched to the skin, had passed the entire night huddled together and 
standing ankle deep in mud and water. 

" Coffee had been promised at midnight. It arrived somewhat late, but 
proved to be so cold and so poorly made that it merely served to accentuate 
the general discomfort. Such had been the previous twenty-four hours of 
the men whom the visitor would have seen in the trenches as they sat and 
Awaited their relief which was destined to a succeeding twenty-four hours of 
similar experience. 

"In general, such was trench duty. It came every third or fourth day, 
the interval being filled up with camp duty which in itself was no picnic. 
The duty was necessary and was, not only willingly, but cheerfully performed. 
Many, in fact, the majority of the men, had never had the slightest taste of 
hardship or manual work before in their lives and had been accustomed to 



240 OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 

comfortable, and in some cases, luxurious homes. Yet either in camp df 
garrison I have yet to hear the first word of complaint. 

" This, in my opinion, is the thing on which the volunteers should pride 
themselves, and when mutual congratulations are the order of the day, let 
them be on the fortitude displayed by the different regiments that took part 

in the operations against Manila." 

( 
t 

Cruise of the Monterey. 
Persons who delight to follow the fortunes of our warships will find the 
following account of two of our well known vessels of great interest : 

" The U. S. Monitor Monterey left San Francisco June 7th, and pro- 
ceeded to San Diego, where she was to join the collier Brutus and accom- 
panied by the latter to proceed to Manila via Honolulu and San Luis d'Apra, 
to join the Asiatic Squadron. She arrived on the afternoon of the 8th. Dur- 
ing her stay in San Diego, visitors were thronging the vessel, inspecting and 
admiring the handsome craft. 

"On the nth, after taking necessary stores and coal, she started on her 
perilous voyage with the Brutus in attendance. Later in the day one of the 
boiler tubes burst and necessitated hauling fires under the boiler in question. 
The morning of the i8th she picked up the tow-line, but about i i.oo o'clock 
that night it parted and she went ahead under her own steam until next 
morning, when she was again taken in tow, and proceeded without further mis- 
hap until she reached Honolulu, where she arrived on the afternoon of the 24th. 
" The crew were given liberty, and were cordially received and hospita- 
bly entertained by the residents. A large number of visitors came off to see 
for the first time one of Uncle Sam's ' flat-iron scrappers.' On the 29th she 
again got up anchor and stood out of harbor, but owing to an accident to the 
Brutus' machinery was obliged to anchor outside until the evening of July 
1st when, the injury having been repaired, she again proceeded on her seem- 
ingly perilous cruise. 

"After an uneventful, though underwater passage of 23 days, she 
emerged for a breathing spell in the harbor of San Luis d'Apra, Ladrone 
Islands. The weather during the passage was exceptionally fine, but intol- 
erably hot, many of the firemen suffered greatly from the excessive heat of 
the sun and fire-rooms combined, though there were no serious cases. On the 
afternoon of the 25th she stood out of the harbor after the Brutus, and later 
in the evening was taken in tow. Nothing of moment occurred and the pas- 
sage to Cavite was made without any noteworthy happening with the excep- 
tion that during the last three days quite a blow was encountered. She 
arrived at Cavite on the third of August. 



OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 241 

" Bulacan Volcano was sighted the day before arrival at Cavitc, on enter- 
ing the straits of San Bernardino, and was the first land sighted after leaving 
the Ladrones. As she plunged through the heavy swell to her anchorage 
amid the fleet, the crews of the American men-o'-war welcomed her with 
many hearty cheers, for she was looked upon as the precursor of a speedy 
attack upon the city. 

" The Monterey is a low freeboard monitor, 4,084 tons, 5,244 horse- 
power, twin screws. She carries a battery of two lo and two 12-inch guns 
and a secondary battery of 6 six and four i pounders. 

Cruise of the Monadnock. 

"With bunkers and every available space from the superstructure deck 
down filled with coal, the Monadnock, in company with the collier Nero, 
steamed out of San Francisco June 25, for her long, hazardous trip across the 
Pacific, to Manila via Honolulu. As she swept grimly down the bay, the 
cheering thousands on the shore growing into a dark mass, the screaming 
whistles of steamers, tugs and factories made a medley of sound that told 
better than words the tumult of patriotic ardor that was sweeping through 
our country and struck an answering chord in the hearts of the brave boys on 
the ' fighting flat-iron.' The army signal-men ' wigwagged ' a Godspeed, and 
the light-ship on the bar gave her a parting salute. 

" The first night out was very disagreeable. Quite a heavy sea was run- 
ning, one particularly heavy one, carrying away the port buoy and about 
thirty tons of coal from the after turret. Diamond Head was sighted about 
3.30 Sunday afternoon, July 3d. The Mohican was in port, and her crew 
manned the rigging and cheered the doughty monitor as she steamed into 
harbor. 

" It takes a sailor to truly realize the magnitude of the peril in under- 
taking this trip. The Monadnock surprised all hands by her quick trip, and 
it is thought she could have made it in a day less had it not been for the 
Nero. The trip took about ten days and four hours. On the ' Glorious Fourth ' 
everything afloat and ashore was decked out in bunting of every descrip- 
tion. It was a holiday of both the Americans and Hawaiians. Red, white 
and blue predominated, and yellow was conspicuous by its absence. At noon 
a salute of 42 guns were fired, 21 for each nation, by all the vessels in harbor 
and the battery ashore. 

" July 6th the troopship;: Indiana and Morgan City arrived. General 

MacArthur visited and inspected the monitor, receiving the honors due his 

rank. On the 7th the steamer Newport arrived carr>nng General Merritt and 

staff and a number of soldiers. He received a salute of thirteen guns. Next 

16-D 



242 OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA, 

day the troop ship Indiana, Morgan City, City of Para, Valencia and Newport 
having completed coaling, left for Manila. 

"The crew of the Monadnock were entertained and given a luncheon by 

the ladies of Honolulu, and had a very pleasant time. The boys feel greatly 

honored by their reception, and will always remember with pleasure and 

regret the good people and times in Honolulu. Owing to the breaking down 

^ of the Indiana the five transports returned and anchored in the harbor. 

"On the 13th, after coaling and completing repairs, the Monadnock pre- 
pared to leave. At eleven o'clock she got up anchor and left Honolulu. 
About 2 p. M. the mail steamer Coptic, togged out in gala attire, was sighted 
and boarded. From her the news was received of the annexation of the 
Hawaiian Islands, the destruction of Cervera's fleet, the approaching sur- 
render of Santiago, that Camara's squadron had entered the Suez on its way 
to the Philippines, and last but not least, the bombardment and capture of 
Guam by the Charleston. 

" The weather was all that could be desired, the only drawback being 
the intense heat which made it very uncomfortable, especially in the fire- 
rooms and on the berth-deck. August 3d the island of Guam of the Ladrone 
group was sighted, and at 1.20 p. m. she anchored and the Nero was hauled 
alongside to give the monitor coal. There was no sickness on board except 
the cases of a few firemen overcome by heat. 

Trading with the Natives. 

" Natives came alongside with chickens and all kinds of fruit, which 
were very acceptable after twenty days of 'Gov'ment straight,' and as their 
prices were reasonable the boys lay in quite a stock for ' sea stores.' Every- 
thing was quiet and the natives appeared to be rather glad to be under the 
American flag. 

" By the sixth she had finished coaling and prepared for sea. At 1 1 
o'clock a man-o'-war was sighted coming in. The monitor was cleared for 
action. The vessel proved to be a German corvette, ten days out from Naga- 
saki, but could or rather would give no information whatever. 

"At 1.45 p. M. the Monadnock left in tow of the Nero, and arrived at 
Manila on the i6th of August. Nothing of moment transpired during the run, 
the only bad weather encountered being on the night of the 15th and that 
only of short duration, but sufficient to make it decidedly interesting for all 

" The Monadnock is a double-turret monitor, twin screws, 3,990 tons, 
3,000 horse-power, and twelve knots speed. She carries four 10, and two 
rapid-fire 4-inch in her main battery, and two 6, two 3, and two i-pounders, 
and two machine-guns in the secondary. 



OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 213 

The life on shipboard is sure to cleveloi) talents of ever)- desciiplio.i. 
Men who can wash a deck, spHce a cable, edit a newspaper and write poetry 
come to the front. Here is a song by one of the Astor Battery that was very 
popular among our troops. 

Dewey the King of the Sea. 
Air: — "The Prodigal Son." 

We have a bold sailor in Manila Bay. 

We have ! We have ! 
He captured the whole place in half a day. 

He did! He did ! 
The gunners they made every shot tell 
Wliile they were not touched by a single shell, 

" Remember the ' Maine ' and give 'em h 

Sang Dewey, the King of the Sea. [Repeat,] 

They avenged our boys who were killed on the Maine. 

They did ! They did ! 
The Spaniards won't try dirty tricks again 

They won't ! They won't ! 
When Dewey sailed into Manila Bay 
A short time ago on the First of May 
The Spaniards found out it was moving day, 

Sang Dewey, the King of the Sea. [Repeat.] 

Our gallant ships slipped through their lines. 

They did ! They did ! 
They sailed right over the harbor mines. 

They did ! They did ! 
The gunners were primed with American rum, [?j 
They dodged and juggled each whistling bomb, 
Sent three hundred Spaniards to " Kingdom Come," 
Sang Dewey, the King of the Sea. [Repeat.] 

The battery fired their shot and shell. 

They did ! They did ! 
But into tlie water each one fell. 

It did! It did! 
Then the flagship turned her ugly snoot. 
Her forward turret began to toot. 
"We'll give 'em points on how to shoot," 

Sang Dewey, the King of the Sea. [Repeat.] 

A toqjedo boat came out with a dash. 
It did ! It did I 



244 OUR SOLDIERS IN THE CAPTURE OF MANILA. 

For the fleet it started like a flash. 

It did ! It did ! 
Not a man at his post was seen to flinch. 
The Commodore gave the button a pinch. 
"Let go your sixteen-pounders, Oh what a cinch," 

Sang Dewey, the King of the Sea. [Repeat.] 

A dispatch came into Washington. 

It did ! It did ! 
And this is the way the lines they run, 

It is! It is! 
" Their squadron now is wringing wet, 
We made their gunners up and get. 
We scared them so they're running yet," 

Sang Dewey, the King of the Sea. [Repeat.] 

C. C. Webster, Astor Battery, U. S. Army. 

The reader will notice the spirit of patriotism that shows itself in all the 
letters, poems and verbal statements of our soldiers. To speak otherwise 
would be treason to the flag, and no traitor was found among the gallant men 
who fought for their country in the Philippines or elsewhere. 

Such patient endurance, such dash and courage in the face of danger, 
such enthusiastic devotion to officers, and such willing sacrifice for the honor 
of their country, have not been surpassed in the annals of military and naval 
warfare. 




CHAPTER XV. 

Aguinaldo and Other Leaders of the Insurgents. 

|S soon as the American troops took possession of Manila the old 
town began to show signs of a new life. Our soldier boys brought 
their Yankee enterprise with them. All sorts of schemes were 
devised, not merely for the sake of making money, but in addition 
to this to afford recreation and amusement. It was well understood that the 
whole world was hungry for news concerning our naval and military opera- 
tions in the Philippines. 

This led to the starting of several newspapers, published in English, the 
object of which was to furnish detailed accounts of what was transpiring both 
in the army and navy. It is really surprising that with the limited resources 
of our soldiers they could furnish publications so well edited and the mechan- 
ical execution of which was so creditable. One of these was entitled the 
'American Soldier," and its columns contained information which had never 
before been furnished to the public, and the reliability of which cannot be 
doubted. One issue of this journal contained a grapliic account of the insur- 
gent general, Aguinaldo, and his staff. We reproduce this here just as the 
journal printed it. 

AGUINALDO AND HIS STAFF. 

W/iai tJie Insurgent Leader Really Hopes to Do and What his Chances are. 

Wealthy Filipinos are Opposed to a Filipine Republic. 

They Prefer American Rule. 



" In the opinion of the men in Manila best informed on the subject, and 
who have the most trustworthy and extensive sources of information, the 
insurgent situation is developing a serious aspect. Aguinaldo plans a crafty 
game, and he is a skillful player. Nominally the American occupation of the 
city is peaceful. There is comparatively very little lawlessness for a city of 
the size of Manila, and things go smoothly. Business, although apparently 
reviving, cannot go very far, because the insurgents hold the provinces, and 
the commerce of Manila itself is only a part of the business of the port. 
Hemp, sugar, tobacco and wood come from the interior and furnish the bulk 

245 



246 AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 

of Philippine trade. All these are shut off, and there is no telling now when 
the embargo will be raised. 

" Meantime the Americans patiently await developments at home and in 
Paris, and Aguinaldo waxes warm. He has sent part of his men into the 
fields to plant rice for future war necessities, but scores and hundreds of others 
take their places, drawn from other parts of the island, and although in the 
city and close about it his adherents are peaceful and quiet, outside the terri- 
tory held by the Americans his preparations for war to the bitter end go on 
with increasing vigor on his part, and the same story of siege, demoralization 
and defeat on the side of the Spanish. 

" Aguinaldo is a young man of slight stature, wjth cold, impassive face. 
He is a born leader of men, of undoubted shrewdness and ability. In spite 
of all that has been said about the bribery deal by which the last insurrection 
was settled by the Spanish on payment of several hundred thousand dollars 
to Aguinaldo and some of his principal followers, in spite of the legal row 
they got into at Hong Kong over the distribution of this " prize money," his 
friends and those who know him best assert that Aguinaldo is honest and sin- 
cere. They cite in proof that he is poor. He is not particularly well edu- 
cated, but considering the circumstances of his birth and early years, it is rather 
to his credit that he has any education at all than derogatory to him that he 
is not a learned man. 

Has the Power to Draw Men to Him. 

" Years, or the lack of them, are also against him on this score. But, 
educated or not, he has without doubt the personal magnetism that draws men 
of his race to him. Among certain elements of the Filipinos — usin'j Fili- 
pino in the broad sense as meaning natives of the islands — particularly among 
the Tagalogs, his own people, he has undoubtedly a very great popularity, 
and by nearly all the natives of whatever tribe or class he is held in high 

esteem. 

" Many of the Filipinos, particularly the genuine Filipinos — using the 
term now in its specific sense of Spanish-native half-caste — are better edu- 
cated than Aguinaldo and have won greater wealth. Some of these do not con- 
sider him to be fitted by nature or training for the responsible post of head of 
their Government. Except for his work in the insurgent cause his experience 
in administration was " little governor," as the Spanish call it, a sort of sub- 
chief, or tax collector, of a small town in one of the provinces. 

" No one realizes more clearly now than Aguinaldo and his leaders them- 
selves the utter inability of the insurgents to maintain an independent govern- 
ment of their own without the protection of some strong stable power. This 



AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGKNT LEADERS. 2 



zn 



was not always true. Aguinaklo has dreamed great dreams, as strong, 
inibitious men do. There was a time not so very long ago, when young 
Sandico, the bicycle making professor of languages, who is one of the most 
honorable of Aguinaldo's followers, was in rather serious trouble, suspected 
as to his loyalty, by his chief, and in actual fear of his life, because he had the 
temerit}' to warn Aguinaldo repeatedly, and to insist on his position, that an 
independent Filipino republic would be independent but in name, and even 
that for only a short time. 

"We should be the victims of the ambitions of all Europe, said Sandico, 
and Aguinaldo sent him to live in San Roque alone, out of the councils of the 
Government and uncertain as to his fate. Now, however, Aguinaldo sees that 
Sandico was right and has modified his own views. Sandico is again in favor 
and at the present is one of Aguinaldo's most useful men in Manila, where he 
is a sort of Commissioner-General, bearing an olive branch and an oil bag, 
ready to be peace-maker wherever and whenever there threatens to be the 
slightest collision between the insurgents and the Americans. 

Will Fight Against Foreign Rule. 

*' Retrocession from his original idea of independence has fixed Aguin- 
aldo with apparently immovable purpose in a new position but little removed, 
so far as he is concerned, from the old one. The great dream, he knows, was 
only a dream, but the ambition that pursuaded itself for so long that it could 
vault to such heights will not be convinced, by peaceful arguments at least, that 
the next lower elevation is still too lofty for its attainment. Aguinaldo is done 
with colonial governments. While he has guns to shoot and men to fire them 
he will be no more a * colonial.' Rather be a rebel all his life and die on the 
gallows or be shot like a dog. And it is not only a Spanish colonial govern- 
ment that he will fight, but it is any colonial government, Spanish, preferred 
if it must be fought, but American just as earnestly if that becomes the neces- 
sity from his view-point. While Aguinaldo leads, the insurgents will not sub- 
mit peaceably to be a colony of any government on earth. Aguinaldo gives 
up independence and falls back on a Filipino republic under the protection 
of some strong power, preferably the United States, in that position it is a 
case of "y }Tsuis jy rcste.'" 

" For other reasons than that he would become ambition's victim Aguin- 
aldo is wise in renouncing his dream of ind pendence. The Filipinos are unfit 
for self-government. It is fair to assume, and testimony of men familiar with 
the peoples of the islands bears out the assumption, that the Tagalogs arc 
the most advanced of all the native tribes. They have had the advantage, 
such as it is, of association with Spanish civilization. That is not the greatest 



248 AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 

good fortune that could have befallen them, but it is a tremendous advance 

over the other fellows, who have had for associates simply themselves or 

other savages. Ideas of government are in the crudest state among them, 

and even among the Tagalogs and pure Filipinos — Spanish half-castes — 

there are comparatively few men who understand the scope and responsibility 

of self-government. 

" There are men in Manila, some of them officers of our army, who have 

had extensive dealings with Aguinaldo and his leaders, who are satisfied that 

some of them are honorable men, thoroughly trust worthy, and quite capable 

of self-cfovernment. But even these friends of the insurgent chiefs admit that 

the capable and trustworthy men are too few in number either to organize or 

conduct a government of their own. It might be of the people, but neither 

for nor by the people. These friends of Aguinaldo are convinced that they 

are correct in their estimate of him and his principal leaders, but there are 

other American officers who hold exactly opposite views. They believe him 

to be purely selfish, a shrewd, crafty schemer for personal advantage, as utterly 

unworthy of trust, as incapable of organizing or managing an equable or 

stable government. To such an extent is opinion divided. There is this fact 

to Aguinaldo's credit, that only strong men so divide the estimates other men 

make of them. 

Incapable of Good Government. 

" Aside from the question of the integrity and ability of Aguinaldo and 
his chiefs, however, the question of their self-government presents other prac- 
tically insurmountable difficulties. They would be obliged to fill many of 
the more important official posts and all the minor ones with men whose only 
standard of government is that set them by the Spanish, a system of corrup- 
tion, treachery, deceit, bribery, robbery, tyranny and meanness almost beyond 
the comprehension of upright men. Equity and justice are qualities but 
slightly developed in the average Filipino. Their actions since the Americans 
occupied Manila have demonstrated this fact. Under pretense of collecting 
subscriptions to the insurgent cause, a regular system of blackmail has been 
practiced. Men apparently authorized by the sub-chiefs to make levies have 
gone among the native residents of the city and enforced contributions. 

"It is probable that not much of this money reached the insurgent treas- 
ury,— the larger part of it being divided among the sub-chiefs. The natives 
living in the outskirts of the city have been subjected almost daily to the de- 
mands of small bands of marauders whose sole object apparently was loot, 
» for that is about all it amounts to. In several cases the Americans have 
caught the fteebooters once or twice red-handed, and if the business is not 
stopped spectlily, tliere will be some severe punishment of the offenders, 



AGUINALDU AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 24'J 

" Still another demonstration of the inability of Aguinaldo to achieve 
self-government and maintain it, is found in the fact that even in his own camp 
there is difference of opinion. It is a common assertion that every Filipino 
is an insurgent by nature and from desire. No doubt that is true as it stands. 
But not every Filipino is an Aguinaldo man, and recent developments have- 
made the situation more difficult for the young chief The more impetuous 
and hot-headed among them are chafing under the restraint imposed upon 
them by the American occupation of the city, and particularly by the regula- 
tions which forbid them entrance into the city in force or with their arms. 
Their hearts were set on marching into the city with their army when the 
Spanish flag came down. So, indeed, was Aguinaldo's, and his longing for a 
Roman triumph led him to ask General Merritt for permission to take his 
men in behind the American soldiers. 

"The request was ignored, and Aguinaldo cloaked his disappointment as 
best he could and made a show of restraining his men. This gave rise to 
suspicion of his motives among some of his leaders. Now there is undoubt- 
edly divided loyalty among the chiefs, and great differences of opinion exist 
among them. There are among his subordinates men who are dishonest and 
unworthy of trust. Some of them have conducted themselves in such a 
manner as to cast great discredit on the insurgents. Aguinaldo knows this, 
but either he is powerless to prevent it or he is afraid to make the effort for 
fear of open insubordination, which amounts to the same thing. 

Trying to Win Followers. 

" He is making a serious effort to stop the petty marauding blackmail 
and lawlessness in the suburbs and outskirts of the city, and at the same time 
he is making a politic appeal for support to some of the influential Filipinos 
in the cit}- who have not heretofore been affiliated with his cause. Under the 
Spanish administration the city was divided into districts, administered by 
officials under the title of * little governors.' These districts are subdivided 
into barrios, at the head of which were sub-chiefs, their principal business 
being the collection of taxes. Now Aguinaldo has appointed a committee 
of thirty substantial and well-respected Filipinos in the city, called a ' Junta 
Directiva,' to look out for the general welfare of the insurgent cause in Manila. 

" This Junta has appointed a sub-committee for each district, which shall 
have charge of the collection of funds voluntarily subscribed to the insurgent 
cause. Each sub-committee authorizes an agent in each barri-o to make the 
collections, and Aguinaldo hopes by the establishment of these authorized 
and responsible collection agencies to put an end to the plundering by the 
lawless. He is fairly well supplied with funds at present. He is credited 



2r.O AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 

with having about ;^500,000, silver, all told. These are public funds, and he 
is using them for the public uses, as the insurgents see them. The insurgents 
have a cartridge factory, which employs 400 persons. 

" In the face of all obstacles Aguinaldo pushes ahead. If he had a uni- 
versal following among his own people it would be far less difficult, but even 
the experiment of the appointment of the Junta in Manila is as yet of doubt- 
ful result. Many of the wealthiest and most influential Filipinos are not; 
Aguinaldo men, and would not willingly vote for him as their chief magis-, 
trate. Inside Manila the natives generally are not in active sympathy with 
the insurrection. Those who were, fled to the country during the siege. 
Some of the richer and more prominent Filipinos in the city say that if the 
Americans govern the Filipinos for one year the Filipinos will dwindle away 
from Aguinaldo until he will have no army left. 

Deserters from Aguinaldo. 

" Aguinaldo is alive to all this. His eight adjutants have been sent into 
the city, each with a specific district to watch, simply to keep track of what 
is going on, and prevent collisions between members of his forces and citizens 
or Americans. Thus he hopes to prevent trouble in one quarter while it is 
preparing for him in another. Only a little before the surrender of the city 
to the Americans the story went about— in fact, it was announced at Bakor — 
that Legarda, Aguinaldo's private secretary, had deserted to the Spaniards. 
At first this was taken, by those who know something of the Filipinos, to 
mean simply that Legarda was up to some scheme in the city, with the object 
of helping on a general uprising. But it turns out that the tale was true. 
Legarda did desert. Now it is asserted openly by many of Aguinaldo's 
friends that some of his agents are collecting funds with the deliberate inten- 
tion of running away as soon as they have got enough in hand to make it 
worth while. Aguinaldo knows this also, and it was one of the reasons that 
led to the appointment of the Junta in Manila. 

'* Realizing these difficulties, facing these obstacles, knowing that there is 
disaffection among his followers, and suspecting that there are treachery and 
treason, Aguinaldo still persists and dreams dreams of power and place, 
fondly believing that they are within his grasp. To the open-minded Ameri- 
can, wanting only a fair, complete, unbiased view of the situation in order to 
make up his mind as to the retention of these islands by the United States, or 
the surrender of them to the Filipinos, how does the picture appeal ? Does it 
show the ability for self-government or does it not? For the men here who 
are familiar with the situation on the spot, there is only one answer. 

" Filipino self-government, to paraphrase the pyrotechnic ex-statesman 



AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURCiKNT LEADKRS. 251 

from Kinsas, is an iridescent dream. Few even of the Junta here are favor- 
able to the effort for self-government. The more honest, un[)rejudiced, and 
fiir-minded Spaniards of the commercial class, who have not profited by offi 
cialism, the most influenti.d, wealthiest, and best-educated Filipinos, and tiic 
liritishcrs to a man, they who control the largest financial and business enter- 
prises and have the largest interests at stake, arc praying that the Americans 
will hold the country, and that the Stars and Stripes will float over the 
Lunetta, as Dewey hopes, "forever, forever." 

" These are the perplexities which beset Aguinaldo, and the facts which 
will operate against the realization of his dream. There is another side 
of the picture, or rather, in stricter truth, another picture of the Filipinos — 
that which shows their successes in the field. Since we landed in Cavite, in 
the third week in Ma}-, Aguinaldo has done some wonderful things. It is 
true that at the start most of his successes were obtained by the desertion of 
his people from the foolish Spaniards, who deluded themselves into the belief 
that the vohintarios would be lo}'al to the death. By the steady process of 
desertion Aguinaldo chased the Spanish line nearly fifteen miles in what was 
practically one day. But now it is more like fighting. Success comes 
slowly, yet it keeps on coming to the insurgent arms. 

Number Cannot be Estimated. 

" II is practically impossible to estimate the number of insurgents under 
arms in the vicinity of Manila. There is no effective organization of the 
army. No captain knows how many men exactly he has in his command, 
and it is doubtful if he has the same number or, indeed, the same men two 
days in succession. When a Filipino gets tired of staying at home he takes 
his gun and goes to the front. When he gets tired of staying at the front, he 
takes his gun and goes home. That's all there is of it. But in a general way 
the officers know what men are in the country and who have guns. To 
increase the general difficulties of enumeration the men are being sent contin- 
ually/p other provinces to aid in the fighting against the Spanish garrisons 
whic-till hold out. 

\sides this many of the fighting men have followed Aguinaldo's 
advice, ^^gfj ^ j-^gj from active warfare now, and gone to planting rice against 
the tmie.j^gj^ warfare shall become likely again and there will be no time to 
wait for c,p,^ t^ ^11 hungry bellies. The most accurate estimate of the insur- 
gent lorce^oiind Manila must be based upon the number of arms known to 
oe )n t"^ -kssession of Aguinaldo, and even that makes use of other esti- 
Tiates. whiCgj.^^ really little better than guesses. 

^ "^ hcipal source of .'^upply from which Aguinaldo drew to arm his 

\ 



\ 



252 AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 

men was the Spaniards themselves. They armed and equipped about 12,000 
natives, who, when the time came, went over by companies and regiments to 
the insurgents, taking guns and equipment with them. Next in point of num- 
bers came the Spanish prisoners captured with arms in their hands and the 
arms the Spanish left in places which they abandoned to the insurgents. 
These guns number about 8,000. When the rebellion began there were in 
the hands of the Filipinos about 15,000 guns. They got from the arsenal in 
Cavite about 2,500 more and they bought from a firm of ' gentlemen adven- 
turers,' who managed to deliver the goods, 2,000 more. In all they have had 
nearly 40,000 guns. 

" It is probable that the Spanish got back a few thousands of these by the 
old successful method of bribery, apparently the best weapon for offensive 
warfare a Spaniard knows. They offered amnesty and ;^50 to each insurgent 
who surrendered himself and his gun, and the loyal followers of Aguinaldo 
held themselves cheap at fifty dobe dollars. This is the estimate of an army 
officer, who has made special investigation of the subject. In several particu- 
lars it is very liberal. 

The Insurgents Supplied with Arms. 
" The insurgents have claimed 6,000 prisoners at the most. They got 
500 rifles from the arsenal at Cavite and 500 more from the Spaniards, taken 
at Isla de Grande in Subig Bay. This would cut the estimate 3,500. It is 
doubtful if now the insurgents have more than 30,000 rifles. They are of 
several makes, principally Mausers and Remingtons. They have been most 
abominably misused, and undoubtedly have lost largely in effectiveness. But 
armed as they are, and with such ammunition as they could get, Aguinaldo's 
men have pushed a vigorous campaign, and this is the state of affairs with 

them now. 

" In the island of Luzon they control the provinces of Cavite, Batangas, 
Tarlac, Pampangas, Zambales, Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Tayabas and La 
Union. Day before yesterday they captured the city of Santa Cruz, ^voital 
of the province of La Laguns. The city was garrisoned by about rv/bpan- 
iards. Besides these and their arms and equipment the insurgent captured 
a considerable amount of money, and there was a lot of looting, '^i^ island 
of Mindoro, south of Manila, is entirely in the control of the insv ''?'^^' The 
province of Tayabas is a recent capture, and there, too, the ins V^"ts got a 
lot of money and other property. ^ 

" At Albay, in the province of La Laguna, the little SpaA garrison is 
besieged by the insurgents. In Morong, the capital of _^'; P^'ovmce of 
Morong, there is a garrison of 260 Spaniards undisturbed ^'nsurgents as 



AGUTNALDO AND OTIIKR INSURGENT LEADERS. 25b 

yet, but their time of trouble will soon conic. The Spanish arc withstanding 
siege in Dact, the capital of the province of Caniarincs Norte, and Nueva 
Caceres, capital of the province of Carriarines Sur. The Spanish liold the 
provinces of Isabela, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, but the insur- 
gents have sent forces to attack some of the garrisons, and will get after the 
others before long. Aguinaldo is preparing to transfer his headquarters from 
Bakor to Malolos, on the railroad about half an hour north of the city. 

" This is a good strategetical move. Bakor is between the American 
orces at Manila on the north and Conte on the south, with the Laguna behind 
him. A sharp, swift advance from both points at once would crumble him 
up before he takes the two forces, or send him scurrying into the mountains 
behind Irnus. In the north, however, he takes no such risk, and there is 
plenty of country behind him easy of access for his men, but extremely diffi- 
cult for our soldiers to traverse. 

"At the time Aguinaldo proclaimed his republic and appointed his Cabi- 
net he left vacant the office of Secretary of State, announcing that it was 
reserved for 'the man who should be deemed most fit ' for its difficult duties. 
He had in mind at the time, and still has, Cayetano S. Arellano, who has the 
reputation of being a clever lawyer and the best man among the native popu- 
lation. He is believed to be in favor of the annexation of the Philippines to 
the United States, and has declared his belief that his people are not suffi- 
ciently advanced to be able to govern themselves. 

Excuse for Staying Away. 

" He has been in Pagsanjan during the present rebellion, and although 
Aguinaldo has sent for him several times he has always returned an excuse 
and stayed away. His best excuse was that he could not get through Santa 
Cruz, but now that the Spanish there have surrendered, that excuse has lost 
its force and he probably will come in. 

" For Secretary of the Interior Aguinaldo appointed Leandro Ibarra, a 
lawyer who is considered generally an honest man. 

"The Secretary of War is Baldomero Aguinaldo, first consin of the 
insurgent leader. He was once a schoolmaster and is always a conceited ass. 

" Mariano Trias, the Secretary of the Treasury, is one of those wooden- 
headed men of whom the best that his friends can say is, that he is 'an honest 
fellow who means well.' Among the people he probably stands next to Aguin- 
naldo himself in popularity. He was Vice-President of the insurgent govern- 
ment in the last rebellion. 

"Among the commanders, generals and subordinate officials. Aguinaldo 
has some able, honest men and some scoundrels. Brigadier-General Pio del 



254 AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 

Pilar, who is in command of one of the zones adjacent to tlie city of Manila, 
is regarded as one of the biggest scoundrels. He is instigating or winking at 
a series of crimes in the outskirts of the city which will bring him into the 
hands of the Americans before very long, and there will get short shrift. 
Aguinaldo knows him and a shrewd guesser would say that the insurgent 
leader would not be sorry if Pio del Pilar ended his existen*:e before a file of 
American rifles. 

"Sandico is just the opposite of Pio del Pilar. He is one of the cleverest 
of the Filipino leaders, and is an upright, honorable man, with a clear under- 
standing of the limitations of his people and of the circumstances and diffi- 
culties which surround their struggle for liberty. 

" One of the cleverest men associated with Aguinaldo is his secretary and 
interpreter, Escamilla. He is an accomplished linguist, speaks Spanish 
fluently, English very well, and Latin and French, besides the native dialects. 
He is also a musician, and gave piano lessons in Hong Kong before the rebel- 
lion began. 

"Aguinaldo's navy of two or three steamers, including the Filipinas, 
whose crew murdered their Spanish officers, is commanded by Estafan de la 
Rama, who carries the title of Commandante de Marina. He is educated, 
rich, and has a reputation for honesty and ability.. Among his councillors 
Aguinaldo has some good men. 

A Clever Lawyer and Diplomat. 

" It is reported here that Don Felipe Agoncillo is to be one of Aguin- 
aldo's emissaries before the Paris Commission, that is, if Aguinaldo's men get 
a hearing, Agoncillo has been the insurgent agent in Hong Kong. He is a 
lawyer and clever. 

" Among his generals Aguinaldo has most any kind of a man you want. 
The ranking officer is Riego de Dios, who is a Lieutenant-General. He is 
the Military Governor of Cavite, and would be of more service perhaps, if he 
were better educated, which is his misfortune rather than hia fault. At least 
he is reputed to be honest. Major-General Ricati, who has command of the 
zone south of Manila, is another who ' means well.' Pantelon Garcia, who is in 
command of the operations to the north of the city, is not very well educated, 
but is honest. 

" Besides these there are a lot of other generals. Norie, a bullet-headed, 
good-humored young man, of whom I have written at length before, likes a 
cock fight and a good square meal and has both. Also, he has won the repu- 
tation of being a good soldier. Estrell, who commands the forces in Cavite, 
has a reputation for honesty if not for ability, which is all that can be said of 



AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGKNT LEADERS. 'AoC^ 

Mascarclo. Young Gregoria del Pilar has a good education and is honest, but 
he has a K)t to learn about the art and science of war." 

In the same issue of the "American Soldier," from which the foregoing 
sketch of Aguinaldo is taken, there was a spirited poem, quite characteristic 
of Ihe war spirit in our country, and which we reproduce for the benefit of 
our readers. 

FLING OUT YOUR BANNER. 

'Written by the Father of a Boy in Manila, Upon Hearing of Our 

Victories.) 
Fling out your banners, and shout 
For Freedom and Liberty, 
Type of salvation, 
To our happy nation. 
Hurrah for the Flag of the Free I 

On May-day our Dewey, defiant and bold. 

Flung out its bright folds at Manila, 
And soon the grand story of valor was told, 

That sunk the proud ships of Castilla. 
Now Cuban cliffs ec ho our battleships' boom : 

O'er Cuba is flashing " Old Glory ! " 
The fleet of Cervera has met with its doom, 

Spain's grandeur lives only in story. 

Fling out your banners, and shout 
For Freedom and Liberty, 

All our endeavor. 

Forever and ever, 
Is due to the Flag of the Free. 

On every ocean that flag is unfurled, 

It covers the seas with its splendor ; 
The emblem of safety throughout the worid 

We need no other defender. 
From Indies in East to Indies in West, 

The sun in its course shall see 
Its radiant colors, the brightest and best, 

That beautiful Flag of the Free ! 

Fling out your banners, and shout 
For Freedom and Liberty, 

Our country rejoices, 

O lift up your voices 
In praise of the Flag of the Free. 



256 AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 

No stain of dishonor has sullied that sheet, 

Whose colors our land are adorning ; 
No guest with perfidious force does it greet, 

To betray him to death without warning. 
Our battleship's sunk in Havana's foul tide. 

The victim of treacherous Spain ; 
But our flag shall soon wave where our heroes have died ; 

Then let us " Remember the Maine." 

Fling out your banners, and shout 
For Freedom and Liberty, 

But Oh ! the dishonor 

That Spain drew upon her ; 
And Oh I that dear Flag of the Free 1 

Our soldiers are thronging from mountain to sea. 

And o'er the broad ocean they're sailing. 
Oh God 1 in Thy mercy, wherever they be, 

Uphold them in courage unfailing. 
And when that dear flag leads them all safely home, 

To comforts of love and peace ; 
No longer the tidings of battle shall come, 

And clangor of war shall cease. 

Fling out your banners, and shout 
For Freedom and Liberty, 

Peace and salvation, 

For our happy nation, 
Three cheers for the Flag of the Free I 

The information contained in this chapter is of special interest, since it 
is derived directly from an American journal published at Manila, and is not 
made up from mere hearsay. The reader will be interested in the following 
graphic account of the Spanish prisons, written for the columns of the 
American Soldier, by George Arthur Smith. We cannot do better than to 
quote from the columns of the paper. 

Thrilling Description of Spanish Prisons. 

" A great deal has been written and published relative to the Manila 
prisons, but the American Soldier congratulates itself in obtaining the follow- 
ing detailed write-up of the prisons from the pen of Mr. George Arthur Smith, 
its former editor. 

" Manila is a prison in itself, and within the very walls that make it such 



AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGILXT LKADKRS. 257 

jre subprisons and dungeons wherein the h^ht of day has never shone and 
wherein many an unlucky and miserable offender against ' Spanish honor ' 
has met death on the rack, death from starvation, deatii from drawing, death 
in a thousand forms, but death invariably. Even the houses are built more 
hke prisons than dwellings, their stout mahogany doors burdened with enor- 
mous shackles of iron, and their windows cleated and barred with the same 
material. The whole city bristles with warlike defences, and barriers, as if 
suspicious of everything and every one. In such a city it is but natural that; 
one would look for prisons galore, and they are here. 

** Principal among them is the Presidio de Manila or Philippine Peniten- 
tiary, situated at the corner of San Pedro and Calle de Alix, This prison, 
connected with the Carcel de Bilibid and the Bilibid military prison, has been 
standing in its present position for nearly two hundred years, and within its 
moss covered walls has probably been witnessed as much suffering and misery 
as within ten times its area the world over. The records now in possession 
of the United States authorities date back to i8o8, and it is hard for human 
mind to understand why the very walls of this hell on earth have not trembled 
with indignation at the tortures they have guarded, and fallen upon the 
Spanish managers in their own fire-pan. 

Prisoners Discharged. 

" The Presidio corresponds to our state prisons. In it are incarcerated 
prisoners who have been sentenced to serve two years or more. At present it 
contains 756 prisoners, this being a far less number than at any date of its 
history. The difference being occasioned by pardons given b)- Uncle Sam, 
Several prisoners' terms have expired since the Americans came into charge, 
and it has not been considered necessary to fill their places, as the Spaniards 
evidently did, by fair means or foul. 

" The buildings are called barracks and arc numbered. In the different 
barracks are confined the various classes of criminals. For instance, the first 
building contains prisoners serving from two to four years; the second, from 
four to eight and so on. 

All the prisoners are Philippinos, with the exception of two or three 
Chinamen and the five Spanish officers who were formerly in charge of the 
prison. Three of the latter are charged with embezzling the sum of 
$16,233,32 from the funds of the prison between the 13th day of August and 
the 1st of October, on which latter date the prison was taken possession of 
by the American forces. The first step of the reforms contemplated by the 
Americans was to free the miserable culprits, who had for years carried with 
them the crude shackles of the Spanish yoke. This was done on the ist day 
17-D 



258 AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS, 

of October, and on that date upwards of 300 men took their first unfettered 
step for years. 

" One poor old decrepit native had been thus hampered for twenty years, 
and he had actually forgotten how to walk. The last of the ten Spanish 
prisoners confined here, excepting the Spanish officers before mentioned, had 
been in the prison for ten and a half years without ever having been given 
the privilege of a trial and without having any official charges preferred 
against him. He has a family in Porto Rico and left for there on the T. S. 
Scandia, with a life-long gratitude for his Americans rescuers. 

" The routine which the prisoners undergo, is military. All calls are 
from the bugle and all movements and inspections executed with military 
precision. First call is at 5.25 A. M. They are given a breakfast of rice and 
native coffee, prepared in an enormous caldron by prisoner cooks. At 6 A. 
M., they go to their work and are kept busy until 11.30 A. M. when they 
assemble for a dinner of soup, rice and sugar. They are then locked up until 
2 P. M., when they again resume work to 5 P. M. 

''Their supper is the same as dinner, and retreat is sounded at 5.30 when 
they are paraded and inspected, standing at parade-rest as the strains of the 
Star Spangled Banner echoes between the walls, and as Old Glory glides to its 
sunset rest. The prisoners have their own band, and a good one it is. They 
are allowed two hours of each day to practice. 

Ingenuity of the Prisoners. 

" A visit to the Presidio will surprise one as to the ingenuity displayed 
in the various work-shops in the manufacture of almost everything conceiv- 
able. They manufacture cane trunks, valises and baskets, canes, tastefully 
carved, silverware of all kinds, statuary in clay and plaster-paris. In fact it 
would be hopeless to enumerate the labors of the prison. They run a first- 
class laundry, taking in clothes at the rate of ;^i.oo per hundred pieces, and 
the clothes are not pounded on a rock as many an American has ascertained 
to be the general custom through his wearing apparel becoming decidedly 
thin and somewhat broken of texture. 

" At present the prison is overwhelmed with work, all available men 
.being put to work on a large order for bamboo cots from the government. 
They are turning out from seventy-five to eighty of these cots per day, and 
the cots are delivered to their different destinations by the prisoners them- 
selves under guard. In this way many of the prisoners have seen their first 
sight of the outside world in years. 

" Carcel De Bilibib contains 520 prisoners, mostly natives, but a few 
Chinamen. This prison is similar to our work-house in plan of confinement, 



AGUINALDO AND OTHER INSURGENT LEADERS. 259 

all prisoners here serving time less than two years. At present this prison in 
not as much Americanized as the Presidio de Manila, and no work is being 
done there. The prisoners are all sentenced to hard labor, however, and will 
be put to work as soon as it becomes practical to begin this branch of the 
institution. 

"The saddest and most gruesome prison I have yet visited is the Bilibib 
Military Prison, where I found thirty-five brother soldiers incarcerated for 
crimes against their oath of service to the United States. 

"It is here that all soldiers are imprisoned for failure to obey important 
orders or for insults to officers or the flag. Their routine is much the same 
as in quarters, but they are closely guarded, and during the time of their 
sentence they are not permitted to see or talk to any one. They can write 
but one letter each month, which has to be read by the officer in charge before 
mailing. All letters addressed to a prisoner must also be read, and if it is 
from the boy's immediate relatives and contains more than ordinary gossip 
it is returned to the sender. 

"All prisoners are here admitted in what is called the 'second-class.' 
Their clothing is brown, and in the second-class the prisoner is labeled with 
a large letter put on the back of his coat, and the same letter on the front of 
one trouser leg and on the back of the other. The colors of the letters are 
changed to white or blue as the conduct of the prisoner places him in the 
first or third-class. 

Brutal Torture of the Convicts. 

" As to the past disgraces these prisons have been to Spain, none too 
much can be written nor can one describe the horrors of their tortures. Old pris- 
oners have told me that it was the custom of the Spanish soldiers to amuse 
themselves by torturing the prisoners. They would ask for a number of 
them when time hung heavy, and took them into the courtyard, where they 
were tortured in every way that a corrupt Spanish mind could conceive of. 
Their shin-bones were scraped with a bayonet. Pins were driven into their 
fingers beneath the nails. Their eyeballs \vere scraped with sandpaper. 
They were suspended by the toes or by the thumbs. Their shoulders were 
dislocated by opposing sides, each pulling the prisoners' arms at the end of a 
rope in opposite directions until ' Spain's noble sons' tired of their sport. 

" Executions were performed on Manila's fashionable drive — the Lunetta. 
On the 20th of December, 1896, seventy-seven prisoners were shot as a mat- 
ter of discipline, according to the records, but ostensibly to make room for 
more wretched culprits, many of whom were convicted of no greater crime 
than some trifling offence against priestly dignity or ' Spanish honor.' " 




CHAPTER XVI. 
The Filipinos and Their Country. 

OW that the Philippine Islands are in the hands of Uncle Sam, it 
occurs to the average American that we have taken into our fold, 
at least temporarily, one of the races of the earth regarding which 
but little is known, and that little showing that it is a people as 
ignorant as our nation is advanced in civilization. For, while Manila has a 
population composed of whites largely, there is a vast extent of surrounding 
land almost unexplored. The few travelers, however, who have penetrated 
the country give most interesting descriptions of the natives peopling the dis- 
tant mountains and plains. 

The strangest and most unique of the Philippine races is the collection of 
tribes called Negritos, which is the Spanish for negro, that word meaning 
black, thus denoting the tint of the persons to whom reference is made. 
When Magellan discovered the islands, in March, 1 521, these people com- 
posed a large part of the population in what was called by him the Island of 
St. Lazarus. But at present they have dwindled till there are but 25,000 
left, these mainly residing in three provinces, and hiding themselves away 
from contact with the whites. 

Strange Ideas and Customs. 

In their wild mountain homes these Negritos, or Agitas as they are also 
called, live pretty much the life they did hundreds of years ago. Resenting 
the approach of the Spaniard, they have kept up a continual warfare, to which 
strife is due their gradual decline, and the retention of their barbarous ideas 

and customs. 

In appearance these people ^re so small as to be properly denominated as 
dwarfs, for they are as petite as the tribe of Bosjemans of Africa, standing 
only a little over four feet high. They are brown as to complexion, with 
rather good features, broad, flat noses, woolly hair, worn in a mop around the 
head, while their eyes have a yellow tint. Though some travelers say they 
have good figures, there are others who assert that the Negritos' form is 
bowed into ungainly curves. 

The dress of the Negritos is not Parisian in style, but is admirably 
adapted to a warm climate, consisting mainly of a sort of fringe of plaited bark 
26Q 



THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 261 

worn around the waist, while the brown skin istatooed, as we find amongst all 
savage nations. Their manner of smoking is to place the lighted end of the 
cigar between the teeth. A peculiarity of the race is their wonderful dex- 
terity with their toes, being able with these members to perform many acts 
commonly left to the hands. 

Being a wild people, there is no attempt made at agriculture, but they 
live on game, fish, which they are expert in spearing from their light canoes; 
honey in the forests, wild fruits, which grow abundantly in the tropics ; roots, 
cabbage and palms. The dog is their only domestic animal. In the chase 
they are adepts in the use of the bow and arrow, girls being quite as proficient 
as the boys in this accomplishment. Their method of hunting is to poison 
the tips of the arrows with a peculiar substance, which induces a terrible 
thirst in the animal or person wounded, and on drinking death takes place. 
The hunter then cuts immediately away the poisoned part, so that the rest of 
the meat will not be infected. 

Story of a Good Bishop. 

All efforts to civilize the Negritos have so far proven futile and there is a 
good story told on a former Bishop of Manila, who had taken in charge and 
educated for the priesthood a young man of the tribe. Growing restless 
under restraint, the man threw aside his clerical garb, returned to his tribe in 
the mountains and out-Heroded Herod in his savage ways. Having no 
horses they wander about on foot, camping in the forests where game abounds, 
and when they have made a good killing, remaining on that spot till the meat 
is exhausted. Each tribe numbers about sixty people and is headed by a 
chief, who is usually the oldest man in the party. With no house to care for, 
they simply gather about the fire, around which they lie at night in a circle, 
with the head towards the flames. 

It is said that their speech is strangely like that of chirping birds, but 
that fact may be due to the foreigner's ignorance of their tongue. Unlike 
most barbarous races, each man has but one wife, and their manners are 
remarkably chaste. When a young man goes courting his girl, the custom 
is for her to literally " take to the woods " at sunrise and remain there till 
sunset, she hiding from his sight. If he is skilled enough to capture the coy 
maiden, she becomes by this his wife. Of course, it depends on the girl's own 
taste whether or not she shall be found. 

Great reverence is paid by these people to their dead, and it is their 
custom each year to lay on the grave of a friend a bit of betel nut, while the 
bow and arrows of a man are always buried with him. 

The next most interesting race inhabiting the Philippines is the Malay 




%<9% 



THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 263 

lution known as Tagals, who arc numerous, live in the lowlands on pile dwel- 
/ings and are semi-civilized, being a numerous people and in intercourse with 
the whites governing the island. They are rather handsome in appearance, 
fflth lound head, low brow, flat nose, thick lips, dark eyes and complexion, 
and possess ? strangely accurate sense of smell. Their usual costume is a 
shirt worn on the outside of linen trousers, and a big straw hat. They have 
small plantations on which are grown such crops as rice, tobacco, sugar, 
coffee, mangoes, potatoes and hemp, the latter staple being one of the largest 
exports of the island. 

These Tagals are a kind and generous race, but make fierce soldiers. 
They are very fond of rich dress, of gaudy ornaments, and it is this .taste 
belonging to his race which led Aguinaldo to decorate himself with gold 
medals in truly barbaric style in honor of his elevation by his success in 
arms. Their huts are surrounded by a fence of bamboo stakes and though 
some of the windows are fashioned with mother-of-pearl, instead of glass, 
which is hard to get, the household furnishings are of the most primitive 
sort. These consist of mats, which serve as floor covering and beds, crockery 
made by the women, utensils of stone or cocoanut shells, baskets of wicker- 
work and platters carved of wood, cloth woven on the ancient looms, while 
the corn is ground by the women with the old-fashioned mortar and pestle. 
They are expert carpenters and also adepts at metal-working. 

Proverbs of the Tagals. 

These primitive people have many excellent proverbs, among them being 
*he sayings : 

Don't fling a stone ; it may fall on your own head. 

Tell a lie and find a truth. 

A monkey dressed up is but a monkey still. 

Answer nonsense by nonsense. 

In beating for fruit, beat not the tree. 

The poor have no nurse. 

Wake not the sleeping. 

The Philippine Islands are over four hundred in number, but all are of 
»mall extent save two, Luzon and Mindanao. The former is much the larger, 
Tiaving an area of 40,024 square miles. It is also the most important, because 
it is practically the key to the rest of the group, and because on it is situated 
Manila, the chief city and capital. 

Manila was founded in 1571 by Legaspi, and is situated on the eastern 
shore of a circular bay, 120 nautical miles in circumference. The country 
around rne oay is more or less flat in character, and in the dry seasons is 



264 THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 

almost bare of vegetation, so that, excepting the Mafonso and Mateo moun- 
tains behind Manila, and the chains of mountains running north and south of 
the entrance to the bay, there is really nothing attractive about the harbor. 

The bay is unsafe in the northeast and southwest monsoons, and until a 
few years ago vessels over 300 tons had to run for shelter to the naval port of 
Cavite, the smaller craft finding a safe anchorage behind a breakwater facing 
the Pasig River. There is now, however, a breakwater for larger craft. 

The river Pasig is about fourteen miles long, and has its rise in a pretty 
lake called Laguna de Bayo, It divides Manila in two parts, and on its 
northern banks are large ware-houses — a bazaar occupied chiefly by Chinese, 
known as the Escolta, and trending eastward an extensive suburb of native 
dwellings, extending several miles up the river. Behind the Escolta lies 
Binondo, the business part of Manila, and San Miguel, the fashionable 
quarter, where Spaniards and foreigners have their residences together with 
the palaces of the captain-general and the admiral of the fleet. 

Public Buildings in a Garden of Flowers. 

On the south bank of the Pasig and about one mile from the mouth is 
the old fort of St. lago. Within the fort wall lies the old city of Manila. 
It is approached by several gates — the principal being the Entrada, near it is 
the custom-house. The old city is fairly clean, but there is no trade carried 
on within its limits. The public edifices, such as the governor's palace, the 
town hall and the cathedral, are in a large square in the centre of which is a 
statue of Charles IV, surrounded by a garden of flowers. To the buildings 
mentioned may be added the hospitals, monasteries, prison, mint, university 
and arsenal. 

The cUmate of Manila is healthy, but the place is frequently visited by 
violent hurricanes, earthquakes and fearful thunder storms. Telegraphic 
communications were established between Manila and Hong Kong in 1880. 

Cavite, the Spanish naval port in the Philippines, is on a small tongue of 
land projecting into the same bay on which Manila is. It is about ten miles 
only from that city, and has a population of about 5,000. The place is forti- 
fied, and has an arsenal and depot for naval stores. The entire province of 
Cavite is very flat and has no important rivers. The chief industries of the 
place are cigar-making and the cultivation of rice, indigo, sugar and coffee. 

The happy geographical position of the archipelago is the first thing to 
strike an observer. It is situated upon the immediate coast of China, close 
to Japan, connected by an unbroken chain with all the islands to the south 
and east of it, and lies in the direct route between the old and the new world. 

*' The whole world," says Kotzebue," does not offer a more advantageoa'' 



THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 2G5 

station lor commerce than the town of Manila, situated as it is in the neigh- 
borhood of the richest countries of Asia and almost midwaj' between Europe 
and America." 

Spanish jealousy for a long time closed the port of Manila, but after our 
Revolution it was opened to all nations, and since then the Philippines have 
risen rapidly in commercial importance. Formerly their export trade was 
confined chiefly to sugar and indigo, for Europe, and the costly Indian bird's 
nest and snails, considered as a restorative of strength, for the Chinese. But 
the islands are full of natural wealth. Coffee of the best quality, cocoa, two 
kinds of cotton, grow wild. Abundance of the finest sago trees and whole 
woods of cinnamon flourish in Luzon. Nutmegs, cloves and all the produce 
of the Moluccas abound, and also pearl, amber and cochineal ; gold, silver 
and other metals. The Philippines now export, besides these, sapan wood, 
ebony, sulphur, tortoise shell, cordage, cloth of native manufacture, and very 
delicate and curious jewelers' work in gold and silver. 

Mixed and Variable Climate. 

The climate of these islands has the mingled softness and violence of the 
tropics. The humid air gives them the appearance of perpetual spring. . The 
trees are always in leaf, the fields always covered with flowers, and blossom 
and fruit often appear together on the same tree. But earthquakes and hurri- 
canes frequently devastate this smiling beauty, as the principal part of the 
group comes within the latitude of the typhoons. The islands are traversed 
by lofty chains of mountains, in which volcanoes occur, and these volcanoes 
are considered as safety valves against earthquakes, since the extinction of 
their eruptions is always followed by terrific upheavals. The rainy season 
lasts from May until September or sometimes December. The vegetation is 
consequently over-luxuriant. 

The principal grain is rice. Wheat was introduced by the Spaniards:. 
Cocoa was brought there in 1570, and has thriven finely, but European fruit 
trees cease to bear when transported thither. The orange tree grows in the 
open fields; wild bananas, palms, bread fruit, and betel-nut trees are indige- 
nous. The tobacco is considered the best in Asia. Cattle are numerous, and 
fish abound in amazing variety. Boars, monkey." and poisonous snakes infest 
the forests, and crocodiles the multitudinous rivers. 

In this lazy climate, with his few wants supplied by over-generous nature, 
it could hardly be expected that the native should develop much energy. In 
feet, the great obstacles to the development of the Philippines have been, first, 
the aversion of the islanders to field labor, and, second, the policy pursued b/ 
Spain. 



266 THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 

When first visited by Magellan in his voyage around the world they 
H^ere inhabited by a race of savages inferior in every respect to the adjacent 
pagan nations. The Spanish Government took possession, by means of a 
fleet sent from Mexico, and slowly absorbed island after island, but finding no 
rich manufactures or mines did not trouble itself at first about commerce, 
being satisfied with drawing a fixed capitation tax from the natives. The 
unappropriated land was freely distributed to colonists, and the result was an, 
intermixture of the native and colonial population, which contributed to raise 
the condition of the former. 

Spain did not perpetrate in the Philippines those cruelties of which she ha^ 
been guilty in all her other colonies. In fact, she had no pretext for them here, 
as the natives submitted easily both to her dominion and that of the Catholic 
Church, synonymous here as wherever Spain has planted her flag. 

It was at Cebu that the Spanish banner was first unrolled. A few years 
later a settlement was made at the mouth of the Manila River and constituted 
the capital of the Spanish possessions in the archipelago. The infant colony 
of Manila was attacked by Chinese pirates in 1574, and suffered severely. 
When the Dutch established themselves in India a war began between them 
and-the Spaniards, which lasted nearly half a century. Meantime natives of 
China had emigrated to the Philippines in such numbers that in 1639 thev 
amounted to 30,000. The Spaniards hated these emigrants, in spite of their 
industry and inoffensiveness, and about 1639 made an attack upon them, and, 
in the words of an old writer, " reduced their numbers to 7,00c, who surren- 
dered at discretion." In 1757 the Viceroy of the islands sent all the Chinese 
back to their own country, nor have any been allowed since to settle in the 
Philippines except by embracing the Christian religion. 

Manila Once Captured by the English. 

In the war which broke out in 1761 between Great Britain and Spain, an 
English fleet attacked Manila and took it after a siege of twelve days. It 
remained in the hands of the English until the close of the war, when by 
treaty the town, with the port of Cavite, was restored to Spain. 

Since that time the colonies have not been molested by Europeans, 
though they have been obliged to repel constant attacks from the natives of 
those islands which are not Spanish. 

The government of the Philippines has usually from the earliest times 
been in the hands of a military man, though sometimes naval officers, mem- 
bers of the Supreme Court, or even ecclesiastics, have administered it. The 
Tuler has the local rank of Captain-General, and holds office for three years. 
The archipelago, including Sulu, is divided into thirteen provincial govern- 



THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 267 

rients, three military general divisions, forty-three military provincial divisions 
:nd four provincial governments under naval officers — a total of sixty-three 
divisions and subdivisions. 

Side by side with this civil government stands the power of the church, 
which has exerted an immense influence on the local history of these islands, 
generally retarding and hampering the Administration. A petrified conserv- 
atism, the result of this and all the other vices of Spanish policy, has for 
three centuries retarded the natural development of the colony. Spain has 
divided her attention, as usual, between gathering in dollars and saving souls. 
The neutrality of her whole administration, the confusion of the legal system, 
want of public works, or even money for repairs to highways and bridges, all 
those are consequences of the weakness of the Imperial Government and the 
arrogance of the local rule, and fully account for the fact that the Philippines 
to-day, in spite of their natural advantages, are among the most primitive of 
colonial possessions. 

After the secession of Mexico, in the second decade of this century, and 
the consequent loss to Spain of the Mexican subsidy, the Central Government 
found itself obliged to relax somewhat the restraint on the development of the 
Philippines. The islands yield an annual revenue of about $9,000,000, derived 
partly from customs, lotteries and raffles and from Government monopolies, 
such as opium and cock-fighting and the Chinese capitation tax. The import 
and export trade is largely in the hands of British and German merchants, 
while the retail trade is almo.st monopolized by the Chinese. 

A British Officer Describes the Islands. 

The city of Manila, on the island of Luzon, is fortified by battlemented 
walls and surrounded by water. It is dull, sombre and monastic in appear- 
ance, except as the various dress of the inhabitants, foreign, native, Chinese 
and half-breeds, lends color to the .scene. The bay has a circumference of 
about 120 nautical miles, and is too large to afford a .safe shelter to shipping. 

A British army officer has published a book on the Philippines which 
contains a fund of valuable information. There are plenty of opinions and 
judgments of both past and pre.sent time concerning these .so-called wards of 
the United. States, but Major Younghusband, who passed .several pleasant 
weeks at Manila and in the surrounding country, gives in " The Philippines 
and Round About" a delightful series of impressions brimming with vitality 
and spontaneity and good humor. Major Younghu.sband is well known in 
the army of India, where he is an officer in the famous Corps of Guides. He 
" stopped off"," as it were, at Manila on his journey home to London. 

The author traveled home after leaving Manila by the way of Saigon and 



268 THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY, 

Java, and he gives a spirited and entertaining account of French and Dutch 
colonial manners ; but, of course, what interests us most is what he has to say- 
concerning the state of Manila after the occupation by the American troops ; 
his impressions of Aguinaldo, of the American soldier, and of the Germans 
and their affairs with Admiral Dewey ; and his general and particular ideas con- 
cerning America's island empire in the Far East, as an expert critic of interna- 
tional and colonial problems, and as a very observing and experienced traveler. 

The steamer which brought Major Younghusband had scarcely found 
her moorings in the Pasig than it was evident that some new influence was at 
work. The ship was placed in the charge of three soldiers, who represented 
the Customs Department. The author managed to get his personal baggage 
passed through in a surprisingly short interval of time. So he gave a quar- 
ter to the Good Samaritan, who figured in the uniform of a United States 
regular, and pressed a soothing drink upon him. 

"I mentioned," says the Major, "that I had noticed that the other pas- 
sengers had had to pay a good deal more than we had. ' Oh, yes,' says 
young Uncle Sam, ' but them's only durned dons, and you're a Britisher/ 
which from an English point of view was an excellent argument. 

How the Priest Escaped. 

At the same time we saw the same young fellow very good-naturedly 
befriend a Spanish priest who had got into some trouble with the landing por- 
ters. We could not quite follow what the trouble was, but the malcontents 
would not allow 'the priest's carriage to depart. As a last resource the priest 
appealed to our friend, who, though he probably did not understand the point 
at argument any more than we did, cut the gordian knot with great prompti- 
tude by mounting on the coach box himself and ordering the driver to pro„ 
ceed at once, under pain of having the butt-end of a rifle heavily planted on his 
toes. These same landing porters we, in our turn, found most insolent and 
ill-conditioned hounds, of a rapacity which I have seldom seen equalled. 

One might naturally expect to find the Filipinos, after several centuries 
of Spanish rule, a subservient lot. But this is not the case. Once freed from 
the cruelty of the Spanish yoke, and loosed from restraint, and the native of 
the Philippines assumes a ridiculous insolence toward all strangers. It is this 
spirit that the Americans will have to curb. " To take a small instance, if 
one goes into a restaurant or lives in a hotel in England or any of her 
dependencies, one is, as a rule, treated with ordinary civility and attention by 
the waiters and servants, men who are paid to perform these functions. Our 
experience of the Philippine servant was quite the contrary, for a more lazy, 
insolent, ignorant, and feckless individual it would be difficult to find. 



THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 269 

* Every day and every hour of the day is borne forcibly in upon one the 
impression, even allowing for the present disturbed state of public feeling, that 
there is an entire absence of such national discipline as should be the outcome 
of centuries of well-regulated European control." 

The Major marvels at the success of the American officers in taking at 
once into their hands the civil government of Manila. He writes : " To 
undertake such a task is indeed a formidable one, especially for an army situ- 
ated far from its base, and unable, therefore, to draw at once on homej 
resources for trained officials. But, perhaps, no military force is better situ-i 
ated for meeting such a demand than is an army composed of the material 
which fills the ranks of the American expeditionary force. There are here 
the best part of i8,000 volunteers, men drawn from every rank of society, 
lawyers, merchants, postal clerks, tradesmen, office hands of all descriptions, 
university men ; and, indeed, it would be difficult to say what trade or calling 
is not represented. From among these men it is possible to draw fairly pro- 
ficient officials to man the Customs, Postal and Police Departments, while the 
Provost Marshal General became the Chief Magistrate of the borough and 
exercised functions accordingly." 

Introducing Tariff Reforms. 

The Postal Department, ran smoothly enough, but with the Customs 
some initial difficulties arose, for it was manifestly unfair on the merchants to 
suddenly introduce without due notice a new table of tariffs, while merchan- 
dise imported under older and higher tariffs still remained Onsold. On the 
other hand, also, new imports, which under the new regime were destined to 
bear higher customs rates would be crowded out of the market, so long as 
the same article, salable at cheaper rates under the old tariff, remained in 
stock. The American Governor, therefore, very wisely consented to intro- 
duce tariff reforms gradually only, and after due notice given. 

"The working of the city police," continues the Major, "came as a new 
and startling innovation to Spaniards and Filipinos alike ; the infraction of 
the laws of sanitation and public decency became a finable offence. The 
custom of emptying slops out of the window was discountenanced, and one 
Spanish officer who happened to hit an American sentry in this way spent) 
the night in the guard-room, and, in addition, had to pay a handsome fine in 
the morning. But Rome was not built in a day, and though the Americans 
worked sanitary marvels, even in a few weeks, yet large and comprehensive 
measures will be required before Manila can rank as a sanitary town." 

The author then points out where in particular are the habits and cus- 
toms of the Spaniards very offensive to Americans and Englishmen, and adds: 



270 THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 

" It is not surprising with this introduction to find that the Spaniards, even in 
a tropical cHmate, habitually shun the daily or even weekly bath. On the 
rare occasions when necessity demands this dire expedient, every windovi 
and door is carefully shut, as if ice blasts from the pole were hurling in, and 
then in solemn procession a very small bath, containing a little very warm 
water, is placed in the middle of the bedroom. The bath consists of what is 
vulgarly known as a ' lick and a promise,' after which the valuable Don most 
carefully dries himself, puts his clothes on, and opens the shutters inch by 
inch, for fear he should catch cold by a too sudden exposure to an atmos- 
phere of 90 degrees in the shade. 

" We were thinking of taking passage back to Singapore in a large 
Spanish ship, carrying officers and men back to Barcelona, but were strongly 
advised not to do so by an Englishman who had tried the experiment. His 
experience has been that the solitary bathroom in the ship was permanently 
filled with heavy baggage, and that not a single soul on board, officers, ladies, 
or children, took a single bath between Manila and Barcelona, a period of 
thirty -two days." 

Hard to Part with Gambling. 

The supreme source of annoyance to the natives has been the suppres- 
sion of gambling, in every evident form. "After three centuries a habit or 
pastime becomes a second nature, and therefore the stern suppression of cock- 
fighting, lotteries, and gambling houses smote the good people of Manila 
with something approaching consternation. The loss in revenue, too, is con- 
siderable, and will have to be made good by taxation in other and perhaps 
less popular directions. 

" The licenses for cock-fighting alone brought into the treasury 1^150,000 
to ;^ 1 60,000 a year, while the percentage which fell to the state from the 
monthly Government lotteries touched ^600,000 a year. These lotteries were 
very popular, not only with the Spaniards, but with the English at Hong 
Kong, Singapore, and even as far afield as Calcutta. A whole ticket costs 
$10, but was divided into ten coupons, each of which could be bought separ- 
ately for $1 apiece; the first prize amounted to as much as ^500,000, and to 
take tickets in this monthly lottery was as much part of a merchant or trader's 
business as to insure his business premises. Of course the grand prize took 
a good deal of catching, but most investors found that their gains in small 
prizes generally kept their accounts fairly evenly balanced, while the lucky 
few made fortunes and nobody lost severely." 

Of course the writer praises the cheapness and the excellence of Manila 
cigars, but besides them and a kind of silk muslin, also exceedingly cheap. 



THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 271 

there is almost nothing of local value or interest to be purchased in Manil.T 
shops. The " silk muslin " mentioned is called " pina " cloth, and is worn bji 
the women of all classes. It varies in price from 50 cents to $10.00 a yard, 
according to the texture, and many of the shades and patterns are said to be 
exquisite. The author does not fancy even the best of Manila hotels, and 
advises all persons who intend to visit there to wait until the Americans have 
had time to start one or two good houses. 

Major Younghusband desired very much to visit the Filipino chief 
Aguinaldo. So he asked Admiral Dewey and the Military Governor whether 
there would be any objections to his so doing. " None whatever ; go right 
away," was the reply in each case. But the British Consul gave him a word 
of warning, and advised him to go as informally as possible, as the insurgent 
newspapers exaggerated anything that they could possibly twist into a sign 
of foreign recognition. He visited Malolos and saw some of the officials of 
the insurgent government, including the chief, whom he describes as follows : 

Description of the Insurgent Commander. 

"Aguinaldo stands about 5 feet 4 inches in height, is slightly built, and was 
dressed in a coat and trousers of drab tussore silk. He is a pure Philippine 
iiative, though showing a slight trace of Chinese origin, of dark complexion, 
and much pock-marked. His face is square and determined, the lower lip 
protuding markedly. On the whole, a man of pleasant demeanor, even-tem- 
pered, and with strong character. Slow of speech, and perhaps also of 
thought, his past career has hall-marked him as a man of prompt decision 
and prompter action. Many people, and among others Admiral Dewey, were 
much puzzled to find so quiet and apparently unintelligent and listless a young 
man the acknowledged and undisputed head of so great a movement. 

"Many thought that he was a mere puppet in the hands of stronger men, 
others that he was a safe, weak man, bolstered up by strong conflicting powers 
on all sides, much in the way that Switzerland as a nation is bolstered up in 
Europe by strong powers on all sides. But a remarkably prompt action served 
to show that Aguinaldo was no puppet. A short time ago it appears that 
another of the insurgent leaders began to secure a following which bade fair 
if.o shake the supremacy of Aguinaldo. The President stayed to take no half 
measures, attempted no parleying; he grasped the nettle firmly, and, ordering 
his reputed rival out into the courtyard, had him .shot on the spot." 

Major Younghusband presents a very lucid account of the naval battle at 
Cavite ; but our readers must be very familiar with stories of this engagement 
by this time, so we will refrain from adding to them, even at the risk of omit- 
ting something that has not been related before. His picture drawn of Mon- 



272 THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR COUNTRY. 

tojo, however, is so very characteristic and portrays so well Spanish character 
in officialdom, that we may be pardoned for reproducing it. 

"A good deal has been written about the gallantry of the Spaniards/' 
says the author, " and that meed of praise need not be dimmed in so far as the 
rank and file, the sailors, the marines, and lesser officers are concerned. They 
fought in sinking rat-traps, the victims of gross incompetence on the part of 
their superior officers and criminal neglect on the part of those in power, be 
they Admirals or Ministers of Government. Montojo himself appears to 
have been an embodiment of the class of superior officers to which Spain 
intrusts her armies and fleets. 

" A man of suave and courteous manners, but too old for any profession 
but that of a dignitary of the Church, he neglected the most manifest alterna- 
tive, the defense of the Corregidor Channels. With from four to eight hours' 
warning, he could devise no more spirited action than to remain with his ships 
like a flock of maimed ducks at anchor, and his resistance was as feeble as his 
tactics. 

" On the other hand, we are informed that he waved his sword with great 
ferocity from the stern of the boat which was taking him on shore, where his 
carriage and pair were ready waiting to carry him to Manila, fourteen miles 
away from the fleet which he had with culpable negligence lost, and from the 
sight of a thousand corpses of brave men whom his incapacity had sacrificed. 
Had Montojo gone to the bottom with his comrades on the flagship, he would 
at any rate have died a brave man ; living, he must for the short remainder of 
his days exist only as one of the pitiable monuments of a nation's decay." 

Nor does Major Younghusband minimize the danger to the general peace 
that was occasioned by the high-handed manner of the .German Admiral 
toward Admiral Dewey, " I never saw such fire-eaters as we have here," said 
the American Admiral to the writer, " I thought we were going to have a 
European war in the bay." 




CHAPTER XVII. 

Strange Scenes in and Around Manila. 

[|FTER Admiral Dewey's famous victory there were many moving 
tales of field and camp sent from the far-away Philippines, but a 
woman's view of Manila is not so obtainable as battle sketches. 
Subjoined is a letter to her relatives from Mrs. Joseph B. Handy, 
wife of Captain J. B. Handy, who was on duty at Manila. Mrs. Handy fol- 
lowed her husband to Manila on the transport Morgan City, and her letter 
home gives a very good idea of domestic life in the Philippines. Her letter 
follows : 

" United States Army Transport Scandia. — It is just a week this morn- 
ing since tho Morgan City anchored here in Manila Bay, and as yet we are 
still floating around, and General Otis has not decided any more about the 
ladies going ashore than he had the day we came. I have, however, spent 
the day on shore on three separate occasions, and have seen quite a little of 

Manila. 

Warships in the Harbor. 

" Let me begin with a view of the bay, which is always interesting, 
because continually changing. We keep swinging around, and therefore are 
always having some new view of the ships. The Bennington this morning is 
the closest to us. Next comes the Olympia, with the Admiral's four stars 
floating in the breeze. Behind the Olympia is the English man-o'-war Nar- 
cissus, and a little further on the Japanese man-o'-war. In the outer circle 
lie the transports Scandia, Newport, Senator, Ohio, Arizona, and Morgan 
City, the Duke of Sutherland, from Australia, which is used by the Com- 
missary Department as a refrigerating ship, and the Tacoma. which brought 
the mules and horses. 

"A little German cruiser came in just now ; the big English Powerful, 

lying some distance out, came this morning, and yesterday a Frenchman. 

'The latter, by some mistake, fired the salute of the Rear Admiral, whereupon 

'Uncle George' Dewey sent across and asked if he had not seen the four 

stars ; so then the mistake was corrected and the gun fired off* again. 

" I must say that the newspaper and magazine article photographs 
which I saw in the States gave me quite a fair idea of Manila. Only it Is 
many times more picturesque than they can show. One sees so many dif- 
18-D 2.T,S 



274 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

ferent kinds of people in the streets, some, I admit, in a most primitive 
costume ; the queer carriages and the funny shops (none of which I have 
visited as yet), the small horses, the water buffaloes, with their enormouf 
horns, the many bridges, and so on, all form a picture which is worth seeing, 
but which beggars description— at least description from me. 

" But the prettiest part of the town to my notion is Malate district, where 
General King's headquarters are, and which are appreciated by all visitors. 
There is quite an extensive walled yard in front of the house and a sort of a 
portage lodge, used as a guard-house, at the gate. You drive into the porte- 
cochere, and alight near some banana trees in front of a flight of broad 
marble steps. The door stands hospitably open, and the very wide staircase 
is right opposite. This lower floor, on which no one lives at present, is all 
beautifully tiled, and upstairs the floors are of wide boards, very highly 
polished and of light and dark brown laid alternately. 

" There is a good bit of furniture left by its former Filipino occupants, 
such as high-carved cabinets, chairs of all sorts, and two or three square four- 
poster beds, with cane bottom, like chairs, etc. The rooms are enormous 
and the ceilings most fantastically decorated. But the chief beauty ot the 
house is the wide enclosed porch with tiled floor which runs all across the 
back and overlooks the bay. It is always breezy and cool there, and has a 
most delightful view. 

Pleasant Hours of Recreation. 

" There are at present only three servants, the cochero (postman), the 
table boy and the cook, who was formerly the valet. Yesterday and to-day 
I took lunch there with Joe, the General, and Lieutenant Merriam, and the 
General advised to-day that I bring my baggage over to-morrow. He may 
not keep the house very long, but while he does I am to stay also, he says. 

" Monday evening the officers of H. M. S. Narcissus sent for the ladies 
of the Diplomatic Corps to spend the evening and dance on deck to the 
music of their band. The only men present were the officers of the ship, 
some of whom were extremely young midshipmen, but they overbalanced 
She women. The Englishmen dance abominably, but they were attentive and 
polite, and one may thus have a good time. 

" I had always imagined that the English danced in a very dignified 
manner, but their lanciers was a big romp, and they taught us a new kind of 
two-step, which they called the ' Washington Post,' and which struck me as 
being quite gay. They said they had learned it in Hong Kong, and under- 
stood it was • a decidedly American ' dance. 

" The deck was beautifully white, and draped around with .fl?^"s- and t^ 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 27.'= 

eat they had small cakes, which they called biscuits, and to drink, cold coffee; 
apollinaris lemonade and claret cup, and so on. They treated us very well, 
altogether, and when we got back to the Scandia about 1 1 o'clock, we all 
agreed that we had had quite a little experience 

" I should perhaps have mentioned before this that I was transferred from 
the Morgan City to the Scandia shortly after my arrival. The husbands 
whose wives came on the Morgan City say we shall walk back before we 
return on her. 

■' It has been almost a week since I wrote last, and I have been living 
at General King's headquarters since Friday, the loth. It was on that day 
that General Otis issued his permission that the ladies might come ashore, 
and every one availed themselves of the chance, except a few, who went to 
Japan. So I am running the mess here, and am monarch of all I survey 
most of the time, since I am alone a good deal. Friday and Saturday I 
was busy getting settled and getting the room to rights, and really now our 
room is very pretty. 

Description of the Sleeping Apartments. 

" We have a high four-poster bed, with a white canopy and mosquito bar, 
a wardrobe, a beautiful centre table of some sort of highly polished wood, 
which can be extended with leaves, all of which Joe bought; and there was 
already in the room an article of furniture which I cannot name exactly, but 
which we call a dresser. It runs along one side of the room, and is, I should 
say, fully ten or eleven feet in length. The top is smooth, and across the 
front are five good-sized doors, underne.ith which are cupboards with doors. 
It is a very commodious, as well as handsome, piece of furniture. 

" Then we have a desk and a big washstand (with running water from a 
spigot in the wall) and lots of chairs, including one famous big armchair with 
cane seat and back, and broad wooden arms large enough to hold several 
games of solitaire at once. The windows are two, but these are sliding case- 
ments, which when fully opened give as much light and air as if the side of 
the roon. were taken away. One is in front of the house and looks out on 
^ the drive to the gate and the guard-house, and the other is at the side and 
.'^hows the kitchen wing of the house, and across to the stable, where we 
have — let me see, I believe there are only five horses at present, though 
when all the brigade staff were here I understand they had fourteen horses, to 
say nothing of ten servants. Bear in mind the beautiful polished floor of my 
room, add the photographs and flags, and so on, and there you are. 

" I was very much amused the first time I saw the floors polished. Floren- 
tino, the muchacho (boy), who is house-boy, table-waiter, and so on, after 



S76 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

sweeping them up with a Filipino broom (something h'ke a big feather 
■duster), doffs his sh'ppers and fastens to his feet big squares of rags, which 
rfre well saturated with cocoanut oil. Then he proceeds to slide back and 
forth on the boards. The costume he wears for this sort of work is a short' 
sleeved shirt and loose white knickerbockers, with, ordinarily, bare feet. 

" But when he waits on the table he wears long trousers and a coat, both 
white, as well as these funny slippers, without either backs or heels. The 
cochero has a still more unique costume, consisting of linen trousers and a 
loose, baggy white shirt, which is worn outside and filled with wind as he 
drives along, giving him from the rear the appearance of an inflated bag. His 
hat is a broad-brimmed straw, which he pulis well down over his forehead, and 
the same sort of slippers as the others. When we get out of the carriage to go 
in a store, or when I sit there and wait while Joe attends to his business at the 
commissary's or quartermaster's, Oninisto, as a rule, divests himself of his 
slippers, and puts his bare feet up on the dash-board, or else he slips down 
from his perch and chats with the natives, who are selling peanuts or running 
a barber shop or what-not on the sidewalks. 

" But he has gorgeous manners, greets me with ' Good night ' and a reg- 
ular military salute when he meets me in other than his official capacity, and 
always holds his hat in his hand when I step into the carriage. 

Modes of Conveyance. 

" Our conveyance is a very comfortable one, and is somewhat like a vic- 
toria, except that besides the driver's seat there is only one seat, instead of 
two. It is called a milord. I will certainly have to take a picture of it and 
our team of ponies and Oninisto. The third one of the servants is the bright- 
est of the three, and is a very good cook. His name is Vicente Paudaram, and 
it would amuse you all to hear our conversations together. He knows a few 
English words, and has a regular sign-language of his own, and I make some 
flying trips to my dictionary to supply a needed word to my Spanish vocabu- 
lary, I get along in quite a surprising way, and it does not scare me as it did 
at first. The muchachos seem contented and trustworthy, but we never trust 
them, for all that, and always lock things up when we go out. 

'• Both Friday and Saturday I went driving with General King, late in the 
afternoon. The first time we drove to the Convent of St. Paul, and a dear old 
Spanish Sister showed us the embroidery and the beautiful pena cloth, which 
is like the finest of mousseline de sole, and which, Joe says, is the most dis- 
tinctive souvenir of the islands you can get. Saturday evening we mingled 
with ' the fashion and beauty ' of Manila on the 'Lunetta, after visiting the 
Cathedral at the vesper service. 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 277 

"On the Lunetta one would not imagine these were war times, but very 
far from it. The band plays, the carriages crowd one another, and people 
bow to their friends, and every one seems to enjoy himself or herself. The 
officers are mostly in fresh, white uniforms, and the women in their afternoon 
gowns. 

" There are Spanish, English, and Americans, and they drive and walk 
and chat until it gets dusk and the lights come out in the fleet on the bay. 

" Sunday morning Joe and I attended an 8 o'clock service, held by Chap- 
lain Pierce, in the Malate school-house, over which floats the flag sent by the 
University of Pennsylvania. That evening was one of preparation at No. 14 
Calle Real, as General King had received orders to take command of his 
brigade. The next morning they started out at 4 o'clock, the General, Lieu- 
tenant Merriam, and Joe. The new brigade, under General Wheaton, was to 
make the advance at daybreak, and Joe wanted to see them start, as well as 
having a lot of business on hand for that day. He was gone till 7 o'clock 
that night, so I had a long day. The next day (Tuesday) he went at 6 and 
returned at 4 P. M., and then we went driving. 

Startling Boom of Cannon. 

"As to the advance the other morning, they sent 4,300 men out to do 
what 1,200 or less could have done easily, for the countiy over which they 
swept contained very few insurgents instead of a great many. \Vc lost one 
man killed and eight or ten wounded. The only sign that I have seen of 
there being active hostilities anywhere around is the very occasional and very 
distant booming of a cannon or sometimes a far-away crack of a musket. 
There are no insurgents now nearer San Pedro Macati than eight or ten miles, 
and Joe has promised to take me there soon, so I can see where he spends 
most of his time. 

" This morning (Wednesday) we spent down town ; that is, in the walled 
city and district around the mouth of the Pasig, where are the quartermas- 
ter and commissary depots, etc. We did some shopping, too ; bought a lamp 
and some new soup plates, and Joe made me a present of the dearest little 
afternoon tea set from the Indian store. It has six cup^ and saucers, and the 
teapot, sugar bowl, and pitcher. We christened them this evening, for we 
have a 'party,' Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Mrs. Krug, and little Catharine Krug, at 7 
to dinner. 

" We dispensed with the table cloth, and Florentine polished up the 
table, whereon I set my doilies, and we had a good dinner on top of that. 
Vicente did himself proud. We had ox-tail soup, then macaroni 'a el Espanol, 
then canned salmon (we expected fresh fish, but when Vicente came from a 



278 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

shopping expedition in the afternoon, he told me the fish were ' mucha pick- 
aninny too mucha ' to buy), then fried chickens with potatoes, and then plum 
pudding with wine sauce, and then coffee (in our new cups and saucers), 
cheese and crackers. 

" This, I think, will be the last installment of my journey, as I believe, 
having given my first impressions of the place, it will be easier hereafter to 
write personal letters, where there will not be so much danger of repeating 
myself 

" General King, General Anderson, and General H. G. Otis are to be 
ordered home to the States, it is said, and when that time comes this lovely 
house will be seized by some other ' big bug,' and we will have to move, I 
hope, however, that that will not happen very soon. The weather is warm, 
but not oppressively so. The last few days it has been rainy, though the 
rainy season is not expected to begin until June. However, they say every- 
thing has turned around since the Americans came. 

Sleeping Beside a Loaded Revolver. 

" I wish you could see the way the sparrows fly in and out of the rooms 
and hall of this house. They must have a nest somewhere in the walls, 
behind the painted canvas (or whatever stuff it is), that covers them, and all 
day long they are flying and chirping through the house. Everything is so 
open anyhow that it seems almost like outdoors. The wide front door, for 
instance, is never shut at night. And neither is anything else, except if one 
chooses to shut one's door (and one usually does). We sleep with a loaded 
revolver on the chair by the bed, and Joe assures me that if I were to get up 
and wander around in the dark without telling him beforehand, he would 
probably shoot at me for an intruding insurrecto. I have a pistol of my own, 
too, and a holster which slings over my shoulder, and I know how to load, 
which end to hold it by, and how to point it, but I can assure any anxious 
friend that I treat it very gingerly, and hope I will not have occasion to ever 
frighten any bold, bad Filipinos with it." 

To the foregoing bright and interesting account of JVTanila, which sparkles 
with woman's keen descriptive powers, may be added an account taken from 
The America7t Soldier, a paper published by our soldier boys, to which 
reference has already been made in a preceding chapter. The account is as 
follows : 

" The city of Manila is situated on the eastern shore of the bay of the 
same name, in the southern part of the Island of Luzon. It is divided into 
the old or walled city, and the new city. The old city, Manila proper, is on 
the left bank of the Pasig River, and is surrounded by a wall some two miles 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA, 2'/& 

and a half in ciicunifcrence. This wall is one of the sights of Manila; it is 
>boiit t\vcnt}'-five feet wide, being thickest in the most exposed points. It is 
surrounded by a double moat, which is now choked up with the mud and filth 
of centuries. 

"The work required to erect this fortification was immense. It is said 
that it was built in great part by the Chinese coolies. It dates from the latter 
end of the sixteenth century, and while it is of no service for defense against 
modern artillery, it has on more than one occasion been a haven of refuge for 
the European inhabitants in times past, and might be again used against an 
uprising of the natives. The r.dvisability of destroying the walls has often 
been discussed in recent years by S.^anish authorities, but this latter consid- 
eration, coupled with the fear that an attempt to remove the filth, that for 
centuries has been accumulating in the moat, would let loose such a stench, 
that a plague would result, has so far prevented any action in the matter. 

" The River Pasig flows through the centre of Manila, while its estuaries 
reaching out in every direction make it a veritable city of canals. These canals, 
or estuaries, are of great importance as highways, and are largely used as 
such. The district of Binondo, on the right bank of the River Pasig, is the 
centre of commercial activity of Manila. 

Big Canoes and Busy Wharves. 

" Along the banks of the river, which is here confined by stone embank- 
ments, are to be found the large wholesale houses and the Custom House. 
The river is deep enough to admit vessels drawing up to thirteen feet of water, 
and the wharves are generally lined with boats of all kinds, steamers, schoon- 
ers, and scores of the big native canoes or " cascos," which are used as light- 
ers. They are a purely native craft, covered with bamboo wicker roofs, and 
propelled by means of long bamboo poles. 

" There is a narrow platform along the side of the casco at the water 
level, and the native boatman walks along this with his shoulder against his 
pole, and slowly propels his unwieldy craft, which is to him both home and 
livelihood, for the whole family lives in the little house or shed in the stern of 
the casco. A great deal of the river traffic is carried on by means of these 
cascos. 

"There are also many of the native boats made from hollowed logs, in 
which they carry immense loads of bananas and other country produce. 
These boats are so narrow that to sit in one of them without capsizing is a 
balancing feat of no mean order, ami a trip in one of them across the river, 
dodging the passing steamers, is sufficii ntly perilous to make it exciting. 

" The city and general prison is well worth a visit. A large co'ony <)f 



280 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

evil-doers is confined in the prison, the greater part of whom wear chains 
fastened to their ankles with something like a clevis, the pin firmly riveted. 
In the day time the end of the long chain attached was fastened around the 
prisoners' waist. As soon as the American authorities took charge of this 
institution these chains were taken off, and are now shown to visitors as relics. 
There used to be confined in this place about seven hundred and fifty prison- 
ers on an average. They make all kinds of little things to sell, such as horn 
spoons, knives, etc., from buffalo horns. Shell carving, basket weaving, and 
all such work is beautifully done. 

" One of the most interesting sights to be seen there is the garrote or 
strangling machine with which capital punishment is inflicted under Spanish 
law. The original form of this was simply a short piece of rope with the ends 
spliced, which was placed around the victim's neck, and then passed through 
a hole in a post. A stick was then inserted in the loop, and twisted around 
until the subject was strangled. The modern machine is a great improve- 
ment on this crude method. 

" It is a rectangular iron frame, sliding on a groved collar, which is firmly 
bolted to a post. The front of the frame is hinged and can be opened to 
admit the neck of the condemned. The back of the fi-ame is drilled and 
tapped to admit a large screw, very much like a letter-press screw. The end 
of this screw or bolt rests against the collar with which the garrote is fastened 
to the post, and by turning the screw the frame is drawn back, until it comes 
in contact with the collar. 

. How the Death Sentence is Inflicted. 

" The execution always takes place in the open air in some public square. 
The condemned, dressed in a long, black robe, is led to the post and made to 
sit on a narrow seat, so placed that his neck is on a level with the garrote. 
The victim of Justice is bound rigidly to the post, the frame is pushed out 
and closed around his neck, and the black cap adjusted : the officer gives the 
signal, the executioner rapidly turns the screw, there is a shudder, a short 
convulsive struggle, and all is over. The body is left exposed for hours. 

" Except when in actual use the garrote is kept in the prison, in charge 
of the executioner. This functionary, who is a native Philippine Islander, is 
at present serving a twenty years' term for murder. He gives visitors a very 
graphic description of the method of using the machine. The result seems 
to be like cutting a man's head off with a dull pair of scissors, but doing it 
quickly. 

"Manila can boast of a good system of electric lighting, and the water" 
works are very creditable. The entire system was presented to the city by 9 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 281 

wealthy citizen, named Cariedo, who was a benelactor indeed. The water is 
pumped into the mains by powerful engines. During the siege the water 
supply was cut off by the insurgents, but as the rainfall was plentiful all 
the time, no great discomfort resulted. The water was not turned on until 
several days after our troops took the city." 

A very clear picture of conditions in Luzon, the largest of the Philippine 
Islands, is presented in a report of the tour of Paymaster W. B. Wilcox and 
Cadet R. L. Sargent, of Dewey's fleet. This recital of the characteristics of" 
the island outside of Manila, the military conditions and the habits of the 
people, earned for the young officers the praise of Admiral Dewey and of 
officials at Washington. 

Paymaster Wilcox and Cadet Sargent left Manila for the interior Octu- 
ber 5. 1898, with five servants. Aguinaldo had refused to issue a passport, 
but assured the officers that they were free to proceed without molestation 
from his forces. At Bayambang they met a squad of Filipino soldiers, but 
through the influence of an English resident they were enabled to proceed. 
From Rosales to San Jose it rained almost constantly, and the roads were 
nearly impassable. The pack horses gave out and natives were hired at the 
rate of less than ten cents in gold per man. 

Scenes in the Interior. 

In the villages of Huniingan and Lupao were found a few Spanish pris- 
oners, priests, soldiers, and civil officials. They showed no signs of ill-treat- 
ment or undue restriction. The report continues : 

" The local officials are native Filipinos. Most of them have received 
some education at religious schools in Manila. They are intelligent and 
are eager to learn of the outside world. Their ignorance of current events is 
surprising. One or two of them had heaid of the Congress at Paris, but no 
one had any idea as to its object. 

" They were well-grounded oa only three points : the destruction of the 
Spanish squadron in Manila harbor, the surrender of Manila, and the declara- 
tion by the Philippine government at Malolos of the independence of the 
islands and the establishment of a republican form of government, with 
Aguinaldo as president." 

The American officers were received coolly by the Philippine officers at 
Carranglan, owing to their lack of passports, but were permitted to proceed 
in the face of predictions that they had worse rivers to cross. They were 
given a guard to protect them from savages. 

The party spent the night at Bagagag, where they met the first opposi- 
tion to their progress. On the way to Cordon they were escorted by a mih- 



282 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

tary force along the mountain trail, which is infested at certain seasons by 
savages. During the trip the escorts used their rifles freely, firing into every 
thick bush that might conceal a savage. 

At Carig, the Americans were detained seven days, and were told that 
they better go back. The chief Filipino official there was very suspicious, 
particularly of the diary kept by the Americans and a camera that formed 
part of their equipment. He became slowly convinced, however, that they 
were not seeking for military information or maps of the country. The sus- 
picions had started from statements of Spanish prisoners that American troops 
would come into the province to conquer them. 

The officers went from Echague to Ilagan in a dugout twenty-five feet 
long, rowed by six natives. They were nearly swamped twice. Ilagan, which 
is the capital of the province of Isabella, has 10,000 to 15,000 inhabitants. 
It has many large wooden houses, roofed with corrugated iron. The report 
says : 

" In this town we were entertained at the house of a wealthy citizen. The 
first night after our arrival a ball was given in our honor, at which there were 
over fifty young ladies and an equal number of well-dressed and gentlemanly 
young men. The ball was well conducted. The dances were Spanish. The 
next evening we were invited to the theatre to see two one-act Spanish come- 
dies presented by the society young people. They were both excellently 
given, and spoke well for the intelligence of the players," 

Took the Oath of Office. 

The plan to continue the journey to Tuguegaro and across the mountains 
to the western coast was negatived by Colonel Tirona, who said it was impos- 
sible, so the officers went to Aparri. There they found many Spanish pris- 
oners. 

A steamer had brought news from Hong Kong that the American Com- 
missioners at the Paris Congress favored the independence of the Islands, with 
an American protectorate. Colonel Tirona considered the information of 
sufficient reliability, to justify him in regarding Philippine independence as 
assured. He gave up his military command and placed this power in the 
hands of a civil officer, who thanked the military forces and their colonel. 
After an impassioned speech he knelt and took the oath of office. 

Two balls were given at Aparri in honor of the Americans. From 
Aparri the explorers went to Cabujoa by boat. Officials objected to their 
landing, but finally allowed them to go to Magsingai. There, in accordance 
with the order of the Filipino Secretary of War, they were forced to give up 
i*\ Iheir arms, including revolvers. 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 283 

In Vigan the travelers heard the oiiiy definite complaint of natives 
/igainst the present government. These people complained of the taxes, and 
even went so far as to say that they preferred the Spanish government. 

The Province of Hocus Sur raises principally rice, tobacco, sugar and 
live stock. The cultivation of cocoanuts is profitable and is increasing. Many 
people are engaged in weaving cotton cloth, towels, etc. In the mountains- 
there are mines of copper, sulphur and gold. Colonel Tine, commander o^ 
the military district, was met at San Fernando. He is twenty-one years old 
and had ju>t been made a brigadier general. He expressed several times his 
suspicion with regard to the object of the Americans' journey. He would not 
let them take the route desired, and they left the town next morning for 
Dagupan, whence they proceeded to Manila. 

Traveling in the Philippines. 

A railroad connects Manila and Dagupan, and a description of what may 
be seen along this road is here appended. It is from the pen of Mr. G. S. 
Brooks, who went over the route, making observations on the way, and furn- 
ishing valuable information which we take pleasure in reproducing here in the 
words of the writer : 

" By taking an eight-hours' ride over this road one can see about all that 
was ever done to facilitate land transportation in the Philippines. Few im- 
provements appear to be made in 'the provinces by the initiative of the local 
governors ; nor do they seem to take any special interest in commercial or 
agricultural advancement. This lack of interest is quite comprehensible and 
excusable, however, seeing that after they are appointed, and, even though 
they govern well, within the .strict limitations of their office, they are con- 
stantly expecting that a ministerial change, or the undermining influence of 
favoritism, may succeed in accomplishing their withdrawal. Some governors 
have, in spite of all discouragement, .studied the wants of their provinces; but 
to no purpose. Their estimates for road-making, repairing, and bridge-build- 
ing are shelved in Manila ; while the local funds, which ought to be expended 
in the localities where they are collected, are appropriated by the centres in 
the capital. 

"As to the extent to which the colony has suffered from lack of local 
transportation Foreman, one of the best authorities on the Philippines, says : 
* There is not a cit^llar at the disposal of the provisional governor for local im- 
provements. If a bridge breaks down, so it remains for years, while thou- 
sands of travelers have to wade through the river unless a raft is provided at 
the expense of the poor people, by order of the petty governor of th? 
nearest village. 



284 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

"*As to the roads connecting the villages, quite 20 percent, of them 
serve only for travel on foot, on bufEilo or on horseback at any time ; and, in 
the wet season, certainly 60 per cent, of all the Philippine highways are in too 
bad a state for any kind of passenger conveyance to pass with safety. Private 
property owners have expended much time and money in the building and 
preservation of public roads; although a curious law exists prohibiting 
repairs to highways by non-official persons.' 

"Under such conditions it is not easy to understand just how the Spanish 
government was led to make so liberal a concession as that under which the 
Manila Dagupan Railway was constructed. It is likely that the hope of 
direct increase of revenue from taxation on the road, and the consideration of 
advantage in transporting troops to subdue distant tribes far out-^outweighed 
any notion that was entertained in reference to developing the resources of 
the island, or improving the condition of the laboring classes. 

"In 1875 the government first took action upon the question of Philip- 
pine railways. An elaborate scheme was formulated, providing for the con- 
struction of railways under two distinct forms of concession : (ist.) Roads of 
general public utility to be constructed either by the state or by subsidized 
companies ; in which case concession had to be obtained from the hom.e gov- 
ernment. (2d.) Roads of private interest; concessions for which could be 
granted by the governor-general of the colony. 

The Railroad Completed. 

"In 1885 the government offered a subsidy of ^7,650 per mile, on a 
specified line of 130 miles ; but none of the capitalists in Spain or in Manila 
showed any inclination to avail themselves of the opportunity. A subsequent 
offer including a guarantee of eight per cent, annual interest on a maximum 
capital of ;^49,643 was taken up, in the fall of 1886, by a London firm of con- 
tractors. The line, in accordance with the terms of concession, was com- 
pleted within four years from July 22, 1887. At the end of ninety-nine years 
the road and rolling-stock are to revert to the government, without compen- 
sation. 

" The road, as projected and now operated, extends from the city of 
Manila to Dagupan, an insignificant port near the centre of the west coast oi 
the island, thus giving outlet to the largest continuous area of valley land ii? 
^he Philippines. 

"The road-bed is very level throughout, and is free from short curves. 
There are very few cuts. At Bomban, where the road approaches near to the 
mountain, is one sandstone cut about 300 yards long by 20 feet deep, whicb 
probably represents nearly as much labor as all the rest of the cuts on the 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 285 

line. The only serious difficulties in the construction and preservation of the 
road are due to the great number of streams crossed and the low character of 
the land for miles on each side of the Ime, along the greater part of its extent. 
During the first few years of operation, there was great damage from floods, 
but that difficulty seems to be pretty well remedied at present. 

" The road-bed has an average elevation of about four or five feet above 
the general level. It is all ballasted with fine gravel and presents an excel- 
lent appearance, being very level and solid, even during periods of heavy 
rain. The ties are of hard wood, mostly cut on the islands, but on account 
of lack of labor, some of them were shipped from Japan. The track is of 
three feet six inches gauge, laid with steel rails weighing 45 pounds per yard, 

"On the whole line there are at least sixty iron bridges with supports 
formed by immense upright steel tubes filled with concrete. All the bridges 
of more than one span, except one, are uniformly of 20 metres span, the 
largest number of spans in any one of them being about six. The bridge 
at Calumpit, over the Rio Grande de la Pampanga, has the greatest total 
length and the spans are longer than any of the others. 

An Apology for a Railway, 

" The rolling-stock is very light as compared with the substantial char- 
acter of the road-bed. The locomotives appear to be little superior in speed 
or capacity to the better class of 'dummy ' or 'jerkwater' locomotives used in 
the United States. They are of less than ten tons burden, and the passenger 
carriages are correspondingly small. The carriages are of three classes, all 
being divided alike into three apartments, with an outside gangway, each 
apartment seating eight persons. The few first-class passengers are comfort- 
ably seated in cane chairs. The second and third-class carriages have wooden, 
bench-like seats, the former being much more comfortable, especially as they 
are very seldom crowded, and those of the third-class are usually filled with 
natives, carrying baskets and bundles of all descriptions. 

" Owing to the exacting requirements of the Spanish authorities (that 
used to be) the buildings on the line are of first-rate quality, and of a 
capacity far beyond present requirements. The Manila depot is a well- 
arranged, two-story wooden structure, 70 feet long and 45 feet wide, Vvith 
train sheds in the rear, 325 feet long and covering four tracks. On the 
second floor of the building are all the general business offices of the road, 
including that of the general manager. All the other twenty-eight station- 
houses on the line are of a uniform type, differing somewhat in respect to 
size only. The smallest of them are probably between thirty and fort}' feet 
long, with a good-sized waiting-room and usually two or three office- rooms 



286 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

on the first floor. At most of the stations there are good freight sheds, 
which, like all the other buildings, have good tin roofs. The machine shops 
are at Caloocan, four miles from Manila, where Mr. Higgins, the generaJ 
manager, has his residence. 

" Excepting the general manager and a few other English overseers, and 
three Spanish station-masters, the whole force employed are native Filipinos, 
working on salaries ranging from six or eight to about twenty dollars per 
month by the gold standard. The last named amount is probably above the 
average salary of the clerks, telegraph operators, station-masters, conductors, 
engineers and mechanics. All these natives had to be trained in their respec- 
tive employments — in some cases from the first rudiments. In building the 
road-bed the laborers used hoes instead of shovels ; but ' section hands ' now 
use the shovel with good effect. 

" The clerks give good satisfaction, and are said to show no special 
inferiority in comparison with Europeans in similar positions. There have 
been no serious accidents since the operation of the road began. From the 
general efficiency of these employees it may be inferred that the average 
Filipino is by no means slow in taking up the pursuits of the nations more 
advanced in civil and economic life. 

Freight and Passenger Transportation. 

" The rates on all classes of traffic are considerably lower than ordinary 
rates for corresponding distances in the United States. The great bulk of the 
freight is rice and sugar. There is also some building material and fire-wood 
besides various odds and ends in small quantities. At present there are three 
freight and three passenger trains each way per day, only one of the trains 
carrying mail. The passenger trains cover the 120 miles in about eight 
hours. An ordinary passenger train is composed of about eight or ten car- 
riages, more than half of which are of the third class ; usually filled with 
natives, some on short journeys from town to town, but the vast majority on 
the way to or from Manila — their ideal of worldly splendor. The passenger 
rates range from two to five cents in gold per mile. 

"There are no statistics available in reference to the original cost or the 
financial standing of the road. The cost of construction per mile for such 
a line must be greater than for ordinary light roads as are usually built in 
America. But owing to the low price of reasonably efficient labor, the 
original cost and the running expenses are probably much below the cor- 
responding figures on a line of similar construction in the United States. 
From present appearances it does not seem likely that the Spanish govern- 
ment has ever been called upon to make good the guaranteed profit of 8 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA 28* 

per cent. During the short time since operations were resumed after th< 
end of tlie blockade of Manila, the passenger traffic among the natives h-.-'. 
passed the highest mark it had ever reached before. 

"The road runs diagonally across a continuous level, or slightly rolling 
area, with a general elevation slightly above sea level, and of a nearly regular 
quadrangular shape about ninety miles long and fifty miles wide, separated 
from the sea on both sides by continuous mountain strips from eight to fif- 
teen miles wide, and rising in some parts probably to a height of four or five 
thousand feet. The northwest corner of the valley opens upon the large shal- 
low Gulf of Lingayen, where Dagupan, the termination of the railway, is. All 
the land part of the northern boundary is also cut off by mountain chains 
from the great valley lands of the northern part of the islands. The south 
end of the valley is bounded by Manila Bay, the Pasig River, and Laguna de 
Bay, the largest and by far the most important lake in the Philippines. 

" This valley region, with about half the mountain strip on each side, 
includes all the present territory of the six provinces, namely: Manila, Bul- 
acan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, and Pangasinian, in which the Spanish 
first began the subjection of the colony. In those days a large part of this 
territory was covered by dense forest, which furnished the invaders an easy 
and rich source of timber supplies. In the accounts of native insurrections, 
it is stated that about 1620 the Pampangos were in open mutiny against 
the Spaniards, complaining that all their young men were forced into mili- 
tary service, and that the remaining able-bodied men were kept busy cutting 
timber for government requirements. 

Ancient Feuds and Grudges. 

"Again in 1660 there was a serious uprising in the same province, the 
natives refusing to cut timber for Cavite Arsenal without payment. That old 
spirit of rebellion has never died out to this day. The whole of these Pro- 
vinces, excepting Manila, were in the hands of the insurgents when the Amer- 
ican army cime. But the primeval forests, so far as the main part of the 
valley is concerned, have long since disappeared. Only in one place along 
the railway, about sixty miles from Manila, are any large forest trees to be 
seen now. 

" Imagine a wide, level landscape, with the view intercepted at many 
points, and often entirely shut off by clumps and groves of bamboo, some- 
times fifty feet high ; in and around the groves dense thickets of tangled 
shrubbery, including banana trees with their gigantic leaves and other palms; 
the open spaces mostly occupied by immense green fields of tall heavy rice, 
or small fields -^f short sugar cane ; villages and groups of palm-thatched 



288 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

j)amboo huts on stilts, in and around the thickets, sometimes extending in 
irregular rows far out into the fields ; and many marshy, overflowing rivers, 
with great sheets of water extending out into the fields. This type, with 
a few variations, will give an idea of the view from Manila to Dagupan at 
the present season, especially during a period of heavy rain. 

" For the first fi'.veen miles out of Manila, the land rises in irregular, long- 
sloping hills, never rising more than about thirty feet above the general level; 
many of these gently sloping hillsides present a terraced appearance, from 
being occupied by great beds of rice, banked around to hold the water as it 
runs down. 

" No other field crops are to be seen yet. The villages are apparently 
small, and around the next six stations after the first one from Manila, 
Caloocan, there is very little sign of life. 

" After leaving the hills behind, and passing through about six miles of 
rich watery land, with much larger fields of rice, we arrive at Malolos, the 
eighth station, at a distance of twenty miles from Manila. Little can be seen 
of the town from the station. Only a dark old convent church, and a small 
part of a few streets ; the main one apparently having fences with stone pil- 
lars. All the dwellings in sight are of bamboo. 

A Motley Crowd of Loafers. 

"A dozen of the typical single pony carromatas are lined up at the 
depot, and there is quite a bustle of native passengers, peddlers, beggars 
and loafers. At most of the preceding stations a few have been standing 
or getting on and off; here are a dozen of them, some of whom look through 
the train to see that no Spaniards are on board. In fact, we are now at 
the capital and military base of the new-born Philippine republic. But that 
is aside from the object of this sketch, which is meant to bear directly upon 
industrial and economic matters. 

" I would like to be able to state the population of this important place. 
But no census statistics or reliable information are easily obtained in reference 
to any of these towns. Neither can any one passing through, or even stop- 
ping a few hours, form any good estimates. For these, like nearly all the 
Filipino towns, are usually stretched out for miles, among the trees and 
ponds ; so that, in wet weather especially, it is no easy task to find the so- 
called roads and streets, to say nothing of the scattered huts and shacks. 
From ordinary observation one might judge the largest of the towns on this 
line to have less than ten thousand people. But those wha ought to know 
say that many of them, such as Malolos, run up to twenty and thirty thou- 
sand, while a few are placed at fifty and seventy-five thousand. 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 289 

"Witliin the nine miles from Malolo.s to Calumpit twelve streams are 
Crossed, all at this time, of sufficient volume to be called rivers. Most of 
them are within about a mile of Calumpit, and just beyond the station flows 
the Rio Grande de la Pampanga, one of the largest rivers in Luzon Island. 
The stream is about 200 yards wide at this point, which is probably ten 
miles from where it empties, by twenty mouths, into Manila Bay. Its source' 
is in the mountains to the north and east, about 100 miles in a straight 
line. Here, near the station, is a rice mill, owned by an English firm and 
managed by Mr. Carrick, an American. A few hours' visit at this place was 
a part of my program unfortunately omitted. 

"A few miles from Calumpit we leave the wide, shallow streams and 
marshy lands bordering on Manila Bay behind. The drainage becomes 
much better, and the soil still has the appearance of inexhaustible fertility. 
The endless fields of rice, and the ever-present bamboo, become less predomi- 
nant, giving place to a larger proportion of palms and cane fields, 

"The third town from Calumpit, at a distance of ten miles, is San Fer- 
nando, reputed to have a population of 80,000. If all that number of people 
are not there, they ought to be. It is by far the dryest and best-looking 
place on the line — so far, there are car and engine houses. From the sta- 
tion can be seen two convents; also some show of manufacturing in the way 
of rough pottery. There is a sugar refinery in the town, as I was told, 
owned by an English firm. So far as I could learn, there is no other sugar 
establishment on the line of any importance. 

Natives Riding Buffaloes. 

" From San Fernando the railway begins to approach within plain view 
of the rugged little mountains on the west. Along here there is a small 
amount of fair-looking pasture land ; nothing was seen, so far, in that line but 
some half-naked natives riding buffaloes in the rain, while they browsed in 
small patches of short grass, where it would take them at least half a day to 
get a feed. 

" Some miles further on was a drove of thirty small cattle. That is 
the only approach to stock-raising I have seen in this corner of the world. 
Here the villages are very numerous, and there is to be seen occasionally 
a small dwelling of bamboo, but wood. 

" We have been gradually drawing nearer to the mountains for twenty 
miles since leaving San Fernando, and at Bomban the steep foot-hills are 
within a few hundred yards of the station. Any one on a leisurely visit, 
instead of a flying trip, might walk a few miles into the mountains ; and, by 
good fortune, shoot a deer or wild boar. But it would not be perfect sport 
19- D 



290 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA 

until drier weather sets in. A few miles further on, and in the opposite 
direction from the mountains, there extends, from within a stone's throw of 
the station, as far away as the eye can reach, a strip of thin forest. 

" Many of the tree trunks tower above the underbrush, bare, straight and 
smooth, nearly a hundred feet to the lowest limbs. This is the forest which 
was mentioned before as being the only remnant of large timber in sight of 
the railway. Most of the firewood used in Manila is shipped from a few sta- 
tions along here. It is drawn to the stations on small buffalo sleds. There 
were also to be seen some large hewn timbers, which had been dragged to 
the station by buffaloes. 

" From Bomban, we leave Pampanga, one of the most populous pro- 
vinces in the island, and enter the province of Tarlac, which is much more 
sparsely settled. The areas of rice and cane are much less. There are a few 
great stretches of uncultivated land, extending in one case for six or eight 
miles along the line, and as far out on both sides as one can see, at least, 
on a rainy day. Most of this uncultivated land is covered with very tall 
coarse grass, in which fact, probably, rather than in a lack of productive- 
ness, lies the reason of the lack of cultivation. For if the roots of the grass 
are as tough as the rugged appearance of the stems would indicate, the 
breaking of the land would be a more formidable task than any ordinary 
force of natives would be likely to accomplish ; especially with their little 
make-shift, one-buffalo plows. 

Oocoanut Groves and Rice Fields. 

*' From Bamban the railway bears away again from the mountains ; 
again the land is very flat, and the areas of rice, though still large, are not 
nearly commensurate with the amount of land that is flooded abundantly 
enough for that purpose. But there is another change in the general appear- 
ance of the landscape, and a very agreeable one to the eye, hitherto confined 
to the bamboo flats around the Manila side of the bay. Several fine cocoanut 
groves are seen before reaching Tarlac, and from there on they become so 
numerous that, beside their beautiful stately tops, upon tall smooth trunks, 
like slender columns, the never-failing bamboo sinks to the proportion of 
inconspicuous underbrush. 

" Tarlac is the chief town of Tarlac province, and one of the largest 
on the railway. Its chief fame, so far as I could discover, lies in its being 
one of the subordinate seats of insurgent dominion. 

" One picture will fairly represent the general appearance for the remain- 
ing forty-five miles to Dagupan, its main elements being flat land pretty well 
well drained in some parts, cocoanut groves, as just described; cane fields 



STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA 291 

occasionally, and always rice. The only large town is Bayambang, on tht. 
river Agno, a large stream similar to the Rio Grande already described. The 
Agno, also, rises in the northern mountains, sweeping round in a great half 
circle by Bayambang, and going back north parallel to the railway, one of its 
many mouths being near Dagupan. 

" Smith, Bell & Co., an English firm, have a rice mill at Bayambang, 
and also one at Gerona, which we have left unmentioned, back next to 
Tarlac, and to complete the list of all I could discover in the way of manu- 
facturing along the only line of communication through this great resource- 
ful section, it is necessary to mention the village of Calasiao, next to Dagu- 
pan. There are made the finest of the world-famed Manila hats. There is 
no regular factory at all, hence the superiority of the hats. They are made 
by simple natives from material much superior to any straw, namely : cane 
split to a fineness that must require great skill and infinite patience. 

" This rapid sketch, confined mostly to what can be seen from the train, 
and during a few hours' visit at two points, is not to be taken as an attempt 
to present a comprehensive idea of the resources of the territory already out- 
lined as being tributary to the road. It is true, however, that over the wide 
valley, as along the railway, rice and sugar are the only great agricultural 
staples. But the predominance of rice over sugar near the line, does not hold 
good in a general way, for most of the sugar, of course, is grown on higher 
land. The best sugar lands are said to be in the province of Nueva Ecija, 
which lies next to the eastern mountains, and is not touched by the railroad. 

Unequalled Fertility of Soil. 

" Since cane sugar and rice are both commercially in the background, 
it is of slight purpose to speak of the unequalled crops of rice that are 
grown with little labor ; or the fortunes that have been made from sugar- 
growing under a labor system apparently cheap, but in reality most per- 
verse and unsatisfactory, especially as applied to .a large agricultural industry 
requiring regular, prompt attention. But those facts prove the unsurpassed 
fertility of the soil, and the regularity of the abundant rainfall. The hcalth- 
fulness of the climate is well attested by Englishmen, whose experience 
extends through a decade. They say the summer heat in this region, far 
from being deadly to foreigners as many suppose, is, in fact, less oppressive 
than in Manila. 

" But the real question of future development of this particular region has 
been almost as little exploited along agricultural lines by systematic experi- 
ment, as it has been in reference to the very promising forests and minerals in 
the surrounding mountains which are all undeveloped, and largely unexplored. 



?92 STRANGE SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA. 

" In this natural garden spot a phenomenal agricultural development 
rill speedily follow upon the establishment of sound government, and the 
solution of two very common industrial problems, namely, the establishment 
of a national labor system, and the experimental adaptation of profitable 
crops, such as cotton, coffee, Manila hemp, oranges, lemons, and number- 
less other field crops and tropical fruits. 

" The depraved quality of labor on these islands is not due to the natur- 
ally inherent characteristics of the natives so much as to the demoralizing 
influence of the corrupt government and vicious industrial system under 
which they have suffered for centuries. Hence under an equitable regime 
this great barrier in the path of progress will rapidly disappear." 

Statement by Admiral Dewey. 

The one man whose judgment as to the final destiny of the Philippine 
Islands will carry more weight with the American people than the opinions of 
any other hundred men of the country, however high in official position, is 
Admiral George Dewey. He is a stranger to all the arts of the demagogue ; 
he is not seeking political preferment ; on the contrary, he is averse to all 
political movements in any way affecting himself, and he has had the ripest 
experience of any American citizen or officer as t-o what should be the policy 
of our government in treating our new Spanish possessions in the Pacific. 

Admiral Dewey several times incidentally referred to the destiny of the 
Philippines in public or private utterances, but when he arrived at Hong Kong 
on his homeward journey, he expressed his views on the subject of handling 
the Philippines as follows : " We must never sell them. Such an action 
would bring on another great war. We will never part with the Philippines, 
I am sure, and in future years the idea that anybody should have seriously 
suggested it, will be one of the curiosities of history." 




CHAPTER XVIII. 
War with the Filipino Insurgents. 

HE insurgent army of Aguinaldo, which had resolutely maintained 
its position near Manila after the town was surrendered by the 
Spaniards to the American soldiers and sailors, made a fierce 
attack on the American lines in the evening of February 4, 1899, 

General Otis, who succeeded General Merritt in command of our infantry at 

Manila, sent the following official despatch : 

"Manila, February 5, 1899. 
" To Adjutant General Cortin, Washington : 

" Insurgents in large force opened attack on our outer lines at a quarter 
to nine last evening; renewed attack several times during night; at four 
o'clock this morning entire line engaged ; all attacks repulsed ; at daybreak 
advanced against insurgents and have driven them beyond the lines they 
formerly occupied, capturing several villages and their defence works; insur- 
gents' loss in dead and wounded very large ; our own casualties compara- 
tively few. Troops enthusiastic and acting fearlessly. Navy did splen- 
did execution on flanks of enemy; insurgents secured a good many Mausei 
rifles, a few field pieces and quick-firing guns, with ammunition. 

" Otis." 
This message was received from Rear-Admiral Dewey: 

" Manila, February 5, 1899, 
" To the Secretary of the Navy, Washington : 

" Insurgents here inaugurated general engagement yesterday night, 
which was continued to-day. The American army and navy are generally 
successful. Insurgents have been driven back and our line advanced. No 
casualties to navy. " Dewey." 

This cablegram from General Otis was received at the War Department: 

" Manila, February 5, 1899. 
"Adjutant General Corbin, Washington: 

" Have established our permanent lines well out and have driven off the 

insurgents. The troops have conducted themselves with great heroism. 

298 



294 ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 

The country about Manila is peaceful, and the city perfectly quiet. List of 
casualties not as great as at first supposed. " Otis." 

Defeated in a desperate effort to break through the American lines and 
enter the city of Manila, the insurgent forces, after fourteen hours of con- 
tinuous fighting, were driven from the villages of Santa Anna, Paco and Santa 
Mesa. They were compelled to retreat to a position quite a distance further 
out in the suburbs than the one they held before attacking the city. 

Although it was at first impossible accurately to estimate the number of 
Americans who fell, it was believed that few of our men were killed. Upward 
of fifty were wounded. The losses of the insurgents were heavy, the Ameri- 
can troops having gone into the engagement with great enthusiasm and 
determination. They made the streets of the cily ring with their cheers when 
they were notified of the attack and were ordered to advance. 

Several of the vessels in Admiral Dewey's squadron participated in the 
fight, firing on the natives in Malate and Caloocan, and driving them inland 
from both of those places. 

How the Fight Began. 

This engagement was brought about by the action of three natives scouts, 
who, advancing close to the American lines near Santa Mesa, made a feint to 
go through. They retreated upon being challenged, but returned again in a 
short time. Once more they retreated. When they returned a third time 
and attempted to make their way past the outposts of the Nebraska troops a 
corporal challenged them and then fired. One of the natives was killed and 
another wounded. 

This affair was followed at nine o'clock by a general attack on the 
American outposts. The insurgents advanced all along the line from 
Caloocan to Santa Mesa. Our troops lost no time in replying to the attack. 
Members of the North Dakota, Nebraska and Montana regiments returned 
the insurgent fire with great vigor and succeeded in holding the natives in 
check until the main body of the American troops arrived on the scene. 

There was a lull in the fighting after the first reply of our troops, but 
the firing was continued for five hours with much regularity. During the 
early hours of the morning it became more brisk, and at daylight the Amer- 
ican troops made a firm advance. 

In the daylight it was found that the insurgents had massed themselves 
about Santa Mesa and Caloocan, and that they had a considerable force 
about Gagalangin. Our troops directed their movements primarily against 
the natives between the first named places, and ultimately drove them out of 
the two villages. Telling work was done f*t the same time against the insur- 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 295 

gents about Gagalangin, and when the fighting ceased our troops were in 
possession of Santa Anna, in which village the natives had congregated for 
weeks prior to the fight. 

Wliile the American troops were doing such effective work in repelling 
the attack, news of the fight was received on board the vessels of the 
American squadron, and the monitor Monadnock, which was lying off IMalate, 
joined with the gunboat Concord and the cruiser Charleston, lying off 
Malabon, in firing on the insurgents. 

Fierce Fighting in the Darkness. 

The following graphic account of the engagement by a correspondent at 
Manila furnishes further details of the battle : 

" The long expected conflict between the Americans and Filipinos has 
come at last. The clash came at fifteen minutes before nine o'clock Saturday 
evening, when three daring Filipinos darted past the Nebraska regiment's 
pickets at Santa Mesa, but retired when challenged. They repeated the 
experiment without drawing the sentries' fire. But the third time Corporal 
Greely challenged the Filipinos and then fired, killing one of them and 
wounding another. 

"Almost immediately afterward the Filipino^ line, from Caloocan to 
Santa Mesa, began a fusillade, which was ineffectual. The outposts of the 
Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota troops replied vigorously and held 
their ground until reinforcements akiived. 

" The Filipinos in the meantime concentrated at three points — Caloocan, 

Gagalangin and Santa Mesa. At about one o'clock the Filipinos opened a 

hot fire from all three places simullaneously. This was supplemented by the 

firing of two siege guns at Balik-Balik and by advancing their skirmishers at 

Paco and Pandacan. The Americans responded with a terrific fire, but owing 

to the darkness they were unable to determine its effect, and the Utah light 

artillery finally succeeded in silencing the native battery. The Third artillery 

also did good work on the extreme left. The engagement lasted more than 
an hour. 

" The United States cruiser Charleston and the gunboat Concord, sta- 
tioned off Malabon, opened fire from their secondary batteries on the Fili- 
pinos' position at Caloocan and kept it up vigorously. There was another 
fusillade along the entire line at a quarter to three o'clock, Sunday morning, 
and the United States seagoing monitor Monadnock opened fire on the 
^nemy from off Mai ate. 

" With daylight the Americans advanced. The Californian and Wash- 
ington regiments made a splendid charge and drove the Filipinos from the 



296 ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 

villages of Paco and Santa Mesa. The Nebraska regiment also distinguished 
itself, capturing several prisoners and one howitzer and a very strong posi- 
tion at the reservoir, which is connected with the water works. 

Turned the Right Flank of the Insurgents. 

" The Kansas and Dakota regiments compelled the enemy's right flank 
to retire to Caloocan. There was intermittent firing at various points for 
many hours. The losses of the Filipinos are very heavy. The American 
losses are comparatively light The Ygorates tribe, armed with bows and 
arrows, made a very determined stand in the face of a hot artillery fire and 
left many men dead on the field. Several attempts were made in this city 
yesterday evening to assassinate American officers." 

Details of the battle furnished additional particulars of the victory gained 
by the American troops. The first shot from the American sentry was evi- 
dently accepted as a prearranged signal, for it was followed almost imme- 
diately by a terrific fusillade along the entire Filipino line on the north side 
of the Pasig river. The American outposts returned the fire with such vigor 
that the Filipinos were checked until the arrival of reinforcements. 

All the troops in the vicinity were hurried out and the Filipinos ceased 
firing for half an hour while their own reinforcements came up. At lo o'clock 
the fighting was resumed, the American firing line, consisting of the Third 
Artillery, the Kansas and Montana regiments, the Minnesota regiment, the 
South Dakota and Colorado regiments, the Pennsylvanians, Nebraskans, the 
Utah Battery, the Idahos, the Washingtons, the Californians, the Fourth Cav- 
alry, North Dakota Volunteers, Sixth Artillery, and the Fourteenth Infantry. 

The Filipinos concentrated their forces at three points, Caloocan, Santa 
Mesa and Galingatan, and maintained an intermittent fusillade for some hours. 
They brought artillery into action at Galingatan at 10.30, but only one gun 
annoyed the Americans to any appreciable extent — a howitzer on the road 
beyond Santa Mesa. The Third Artillery silenced the Galingatan battery by 
firing two guns simultaneously, which was followed immediately by volleys 
from the infantry. 

At about midnight there was a lull in the firing lasting until 3.45 a.m., 
vvhen the whole Filipino line reopened fire. The Americans poured a terrific 
fire into the darkness for twenty minutes, and then there was another lull until 
daylight, when the Americans made a general advance. 

During the night, in response to Rear- Admiral Dewey's signals flashed 
across from Cavite, the United States cruiser Charleston and the gunboat 
Concord, stationed at Malabon, poured a deadly fire from their secondary 
battery into the Filipino trenches at Caloocan, After daylight the United 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 297 

States double-turret seagoinjj monitor Monadnock opened fire off Malatc and 
kept shelling the Filipinos' left flank, while the other vessels shelled th( 
enemy's right flank for several hours. 

By lO o'clock the Americans had apparently completely routed the 
enemy and had taken several villages, had destroyed hundreds of native huts 
and had secured possession of the water main, a distance of over six miles. 
The Tennessee regiment joined the firing line at lo o'clock on Sunday morn- 
ing and assisted in capturing Santa Mesa. 

A Brilliant Charge. 

One of the most notable events of Sunday's work was driving the Fili- 
pinos out of their stronghold at Paco by the reserve, a few companies of 
Californians commanded by Colonel Duboce. The main road to the village 
was lined by native huts full of Filipino sharpshooters. After they had 
been firing upon General King and his staff, killing a driver, and firing upon 
an ambulance of the Red Cross Society, Colonel Duboce ordered the huts to 
be cleared and burned. 

The Filipinos concentrated in Paco Church and convent, where they 
made a determined stand in the upper stories. A platoon of Californians 
stationed on a neighboring bridge maintained a hot fire on the Filipinos, but 
was unable to dislodge them. In the face of a terrible fusillade Colonel 
Duboce and a few volunteers dashed into the church, scattered coal oil inside 
of it, and set fire to the oil and retired. 

In the meantime Captain Dyer's battery of the Sixth Artillerj' bom 
bardcd the church, dropping a dozen shells into the tower and roof Com- 
pany L and part of Company G,of the Californians, charged into the church, 
but were unable to ascend the single flight of steps leading to the story above. 

After the incendiaries had retired a company of the Idaho and Washing- 
ton Guards, stationed on either side of the building, picked off the Filipinos 
as they were smoked out. Many of the rebels, however, escaped into the 
brush in the rear of the church. The Americans captured fifty-three of the 
insurgents, and during the fighting about the church some twenty of the 
insurgents were killed. Some 2,500 women, children and non-combatants 
were allowed to enter the American lines after promising to go to the houses 
of friends and remain there. 

Another intensely exciting incident occurred during the engagement. 
The Washingtons and Idahos and Companies K and M, of the Californians, 
made charges across the rice fields between Paco and Santa Anna in the face 
of a terrible fusillade. The ground over which they passed was covered with 
dead and wounded natives. The former were buried in groups of five or six 



298 ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 

about where they lay, and the latter were brought to the hospital. It was al 
this stage of the fighting and at Caloocan that the Filipinos suffered their 
heaviest losses. 

The Fourteenth Regulars were in a particularly tight place near Singalon 
and Colonel Duboce was compelled to rush past them with the reserve in 
order to prevent the regulars from being cut off. In the last line twelve men 
were killed before the insurgents retired. Both sides cheered frequently 
during the engagement. The American " Hurrahs " were almost invariably 
met by derisive " vivas." Among the natives the Ygorates were specially 
noticeable for their bravery, about 700 of these naked savages facing artillery 
fire with their bows and arrows. 

The scene at Manila when the alarm was given on Saturday night was 
wildly exciting. The American soldiers in the theatres and at the circus 
were called out, the performances were stopped. Filipinos scurried every- 
where and the rattle of musketry and the booming of cannon outside the 

city vvere plainly heard. 

Refugees in the City. 

The residents of the outskirts of Manila flocked into the walled city, 
with their arms full of articles. All the carriages disappeared as if by magic, 
the street cars were stopped, the telegraph lines were cut and the soldiers 
hurriedly but silently marched out of the city to the stations assigned to 
them. The stores were closed amost instantly, foreign flags were to be seen 
flying from many windows and a number of white rags were hung out from 
Filipino huts and houses. 

On Sunday immense crowds of people visited the water front and 
gathered in the highest towers to watch the bombardment. There were no 
steamers or carriages to be seen and the streets were almost deserted. The 
Minnesota troops, acting as police, searched every native and arrested many 
of them, with the result that while there were several attempts to assassinate 
American officers on Saturday, there were none on Sunday. Absolute order 
was maintained. 

The United States flagship Olympia steamed across the bay on Sunday 
and took a position near the German cruiser Irene and the British cruiser 
Narcissus, off the Mole. The Americans were determined not to give the 
Filipinos a chance to recuperate. Two Filipino commissioners from Iloilo 
and four insurgents officers were arrested on board the steamer Uranus. 
Many suspects were arrested in various parts of the city. 

The good results of the firing were seen in the mornmg. Nearly all of 
the native huts on the outskirts of the city were flying white flags. The bur- 
ial of the dead Filipinos by our soldiers began at once. In one place 180 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 299 

bodies were found, and in another sixty. Nearly every American regiment 
engaged reported finding fifty or more of the enemy dead along its front. 

Two men on board the Monadnock were wounded by rifle shots from the 
insurgents on the shore, showing the closeness of the monitor to the beach. 
The slaughter of the insurgents north of the city by the fire of the quick-firing 
guns of the captured gunboat Callao, the 6-inch guns of the gunboat Concord 
and the 8-inch shells of the cruiser Charleston, was particularly heavy. 

Torn to Pieces by Shells. 

The Filipinos had massed along the beach, where they had been driven 
by General Otis' brigade, and hundreds of them were literally torn to pieces 
by the terrific rain of shells from the warships. The American troops com- 
manded the river front along the Pasig, while the captured Spanish gun-boat 
Laguna from the bay swept the rice fields along the river bank, fairly rid- 
dhng the village of Santa Anna with her Gatling guns. 

The American troops while the fighting was going on were disposed in 
the following manner from the bay on the north around the city to the bay 
on the south : The Twentieth Kansas Infantry, Third Artillery, First Montana 
Infantry and Tenth Pennsylvania Infantr>', under command of Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Otis ; the First South Dakota Infantry, First Colorado Infantry and First 
Nebraska Infantry, commanded by Brigadier-General Hale, both brigades 
being supported by Batteries A and B, of the Utah Light Artillery, under 
command of General McArthur; the First California Infantry, first Idaho In- 
fantry, First Wyoming Infantry and First Washington Infantry, under Brig- 
adier-General King; the Fourth Cavalry, Fourteenth Infantry and First North 
Dakota Infantry, commanded by Brigadier-General Ovenshine, both brigades 
being supported by the Sixth Artillery Division, commanded by General 
Anderson. 

There was some firing to the north of the city early this morning, but the 
general engagement practically ended on Sunday afternoon. The Fourteenth 
Infantry suffered most of the fatalities, owing to the close approach of the en- 
emy under the cover of the dense shrubber>' and firing at short range from 
behind huts and other protecting objects. The First Washington Infantry 
and the Third Artillery also suffered heavily. The Utah artillery division and 
the Sixth Artillery were splendidly effective in shelling the insurgent trenches 
on Sunday morning. 

The victory of the American troops was complete. The irusurgents were 
were driven back ten miles with terrible slaughter. The number of killed and 
wounded on the American side was insignificant compared with the losses 
inflicted on the enemy. 



300 ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 

The Americans held all the points they captured, and under date of 
February 7th the following statement of the situation was furnished : 

" The Americans are in complete control of the situation within a radius 
of nine miles of Manila. Their lines extending to Malabon, on the north, 
and to Paranaque, on the south, are twenty-five miles long. 

" While a few detached bodies of the enemy still offer desultory opposi- 
tion, the main body of the rebels is in full retreat and utterly routed. Of the 
hordes of troops originally drawn up in battle array against the Americans, 
fully one- third are incapacitated and the others are scattered in every direction. 

** The terrible loss of the rebels may be gathered from the fact that 160 
of them were buried in one rice field on Monday, near Pasas, and that dry 
were interred between Paco and Santa Anna. A converted river gunboat did 
terrible execution among the rebels, sweeping both banks of the river with 
her Gatling guns and her heavier battery. Hundreds of Filipinos undoubtedly 
crawled into the canebrakes and died there. 

" The Americans are working nobly in their efforts to find the wounded 
and are now bringing hundreds of suffering rebels to the hospitals for treat- 
ment. The natives are unable to understand the humane motives which 
prompt the victors to succor the wounded of the enemy. 

Women Even Pouglit. 

" The members of the hospital corps made the startling discovery that 
there are several women, in male dress and with hair cropped, among the 
dead. A Filipino colonel came out this morning from Caloocan, under a flag 
of truce. Several American officers promptly went to meet him, but when 
the parties met the Filipinos opened fire. The Filipino apologized for the 
barbarous conduct of his troops and returned to his lines. 

" The American troops are being promptly furnished with supplies of all 
kinds, hospital attendance is supplied up to the firing line, and, in brief, all 
the wants of our troops are met immediately by the different military depart- 
ments whose duty it is to attend to such matters. 

" The chief of the Ygorates, the Filipino natives who fought so gallantly 
in the face of our artillery fire, with their bows and arrows, is in a hospital 
with a shattered thigh. He admits that he never saw modern artillery and 
was ignorant of its effects until he and his followers met the disastrous fire of 
Sunday morning. 

" The chief is bitterly incensed against the Tagalos for placing the 
Ygorates in front of the American battery, under the pretense that they 
were sent to occupy a post of honor, and he intimates that the Ygorates wi]/ 
avenge this treachery when the survivors return north. 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 801 

" Hundreds of women refugees are pouring into Manila from all direc- 
tions, as the villages around Manila have, as ?. rule, been destroyed by the 
troops. The further the Americans extend their lines the more the need of 
means of transportation increases. The American commanders have already 
been compelled to impress horses and vehicles on all sides, to the inconvcni- 
i?nce, naturally, of the civilians. 

" At 9 o'clock last night there was a general fusillade in the Guiapo and 
Binon districts. The inhabitants of the city generally believed that a battle 
was raging at their doors, lights were extinguished inside the dwellings and 
a majority of the people were in a state of terror. Under the circumstances 
it is remarkable that no casualties were reported. Several shots were fired 
across the river during the excitement. General Hughes has the interior 
situation absolutely in hand. 

" Artificer Hays, of Company I, of the Colorado Regiment, discovered 
the missing parts of the pumping machinery of the water works buried in a 
coal pile at Singalon station. The machinery will soon be in working order 
again, and the employees having promised to return to work this evening, it 
is improbable that the threatened water famine will occur." 

General Aguinaldo, the rebel leader, issued two proclamations. In the 
first he says: 

" I order and command: First. That peace and friendly relations with 
the Americans be broken and that the latter be treated as enemies within the 
limits prescribed by laws of war. 

" Second. That the Americans captured be held as prisoners of war. 

"Third. That this proclamation be communicated to the consuls and 
that Congress order and accord a su.spension of the constitutional guarantee 
resulting from the declaration of war." 

In the second proclamation Aguinaldo says: 

" We have fought our ancient oppressors without arms, and we now 
trust to God to defend us against the foreign invaders." 

The Filipinos Determined on War. 
It was plain from the proclamation of the insurgent leader that he had 
not given up the resolve and the expectation of being able to overthrow the 
authority of the United States in the Philippines. The only way to bring 
him and his blind followers to terms was to push on the campaign and admin- 
ister a crushing blow to the insurgents. So it was thought at Washington, 
yet it was conceded that the undertaking was by no means a light one and 
the fighting qualities of our army would be put to the test before peace could 
be assured. 



302 CAPTURE OF ILOILO. 

Further military operations in the Phih'ppines resulted in more victories 
for the American troops, who routed the insurgents and held them in check. 
Under date of February 14th the following dispatch was received at the War 
Department in Washington : 

" The United States forces, under Brigadier General Miller, captured 
Iloilo, capital of the Island of Panay, and seat 01 the so-called government of 
the Visayan Federation, on February i ith, after a bombardment. The rebels 
set the town on fire before evacuating it, but the American troops extinguished 
the flames. There were no casualties on the American side." 

Bombardraent of Iloilo. 

General Miller, on receipt of his instructions from Manila, sent native 
commissioners ashore from the United States transport St. Paul with a com- 
munication for the rebel Governor of Iloilo calling on him to surrender within 
a time stated and warning him not to make a demonstration in the interval. 
The rebels immediately moved their guns and prepared to defend their posi- 
tion. The Petrel fired two warning guns. The rebels immediately opened 
fire on her. The Petrel and the Baltimore then bombarded the town, which 
the rebels, having set on fire, immediately evacuated. American troops were 
promptly landed and extinguished the fires in all cases of foreign property, 
but not before considerable damage had been done. 

The following official despatch from General Otis confirmed the first re- 
ports of the capture of Iloilo : 

" General Miller reports from Iloilo that town taken i ith instant and 
held by troops. Insurgents given until evening of I ith to surrender, but their 
hostile action brought on engagement during the morning. Insurgents fired 
native portion of town, but little loss to property of foreign inhabitants. No 
casualties among the United States troops reported." 

General Miller left Manila on December 26 on the transport Newport, 
with the Eighteenth Regular Infantry and a battery of the Sixth Regular 
Artillery. Later, when it was ascertained that the Panay insurgents had 
taken possession of the place on the surrender of the Spaniards and refused 
to withdraw to permit the American troops to occupy it. General Miller was 
instructed to avoid a conflict, but to guard against any possibility of a repulse 
in the event that hostilities occurred. The Fifty-first Iowa Infantry was sent 
to reinforce him. Later the Iowa regiment was withdrawn to Manila to give 
the men a period of rest ashore, as they had been aboard ship practically ever 
since they left San Francisco. The First Tennessee Regiment was sent to 
reinforce General Miller, and he attacked the city when these troops arrived. 
General Miller had a 'orce jf 3,322 men. 



SURRENDER OF NEGROS AND CEBU. 30:^ 

On February 2ist the transport Newport arrived at Manila from Iloilo, 
having on board Senor Aranita, the President of the provisional government 
of Negros, and other representative natives of the island. They called upon 
the American authorities. These men visited General Miller at Iloilo and 
discussed the situation with him. They then returned to Silay, the principal 
town 'n the northern part of Negros, and hoisted the American flag. The 
flag was also raised at Bacoloo, the capital of the island, and was saluted with 
twenty-one guns. Afterward the men returned to Iloilo in order to embark 
for Manila to confer with General Otis. 

It was thought this new development would have an important effect on 
the general situation in the islands. Negros is one of the richest islands in 
the archipelago, and the principal producer of sugar. 

The people of Negros have never sympathized with either the Tagal or 
Visayan insurgents, and obviously were desirous of settling down to peaceful 
occupations. It was hoped that other islands would follow this example. 

The American Flag Hoisted at Cebu. 

It was soon ascertained that the island of Cebu was ready to submit to 
the authority of the United States. Cebu is one of the most important of the 
Vasayas group of the Philippines. It hoisted the American flag on Wash- 
ington's birthday, February 22d. A battalion of the Twenty-third Infantry 
was sent by General Otis to uphold the authority of our government. 

On February 21st there was great excitement throughout the city of 
Manila. Three fires were started by the insurgents at Santa Cruz, Tondo and 
the Binondo Market. The latter fire worked its way toward the wharves. 
The natives cut the hose. One thousand native houses and hundreds of 
business places were burned. The refugees thronged the streets with their 
rescued property. The houses fired were marked with red. 

An idea of the extent of the loss by fires in the suburbs of Manila may 
be obtained from the figures herewith given : — Sixty buildings of stone and 
150 substantial wooden structures with iron roofs were destroyed. In addi- 
tion 8,000 nipa houses of the natives were burned. 

General Hughes appeared promptly on the scene, and it was his energetic 
•measures, without doubt, that stopped a general uprising. The troops, with 
the American and English residents, were immediately detailed as fire brig- 
ades, preventing the spread of the flames to the business quarter. 

Three hundred houses were burned (in this district of the city), chiefly 
native and Chinese. While these events were in progress three fires were 
simultaneously started in the Tondo and Binondo districts of the city, and, as 
already stated, more than a thousand houses were burned. 



S04 CAPTURE OF PASIG AND PATEROS. 

On March loth Major General Lawton and 1,700 regular troops arrived 
at Manila. General Lawton immediately took command of our land forces, 
and it was understood that he would at once inaugurate an aggressive cam- 
paign for the purpose of driving back the insurgents, and affording security 
to the peaceful inhabitants of Manila and the surrounding country. 

The flying column under General Wheaton started the aggressive cam-' 
paign against the insurgents on the morning of the 13th, The line consisted* 
of three troops of the Fourth cavalry on the extreme right, and next in their 
order the Twenty-second infantry, the Twentieth infantry, the Oregon volun- 
teers, and the Washington volunteers. The latter, who were on the extreme 
left, were opposite Guadaloupe on the river. 

Cannon Boomed Out the Signal for Advance. 

A lieutenant of Scott's battery fired the signal gun at five minutes of 
seven o'clock, and at once the Fourth cavalry, mounted, swung forward. 
Then all the infantry regiments, formed in three lines, left their trenches and 
moved on the enemy. It was a beautiful sight, this clock-like regularity of 
the advance. The cavalry met a heavy fire on the right. The men dis- 
mounted and drove the enemy out of their intrenchments. 

General Lloyd Wheaton, commanding the United States flying column, 
attacked and defeated a force of 3,000 Filipinos at Pasig, in the afternoon of 
the 15th, inflicting a heavy loss upon them. The American loss was slight. 
The Americans captured many Filipinos. Many bodies of rebels killed in the 
engagement were seen floating down the river. 

The Washington volunteers captured and burned Pateros, meeting with 
a sharp fire from the enemy while crossing the river. The day's fighting was 
like that of the preceding week, the insurgents occasionally making a stand, 
but eventually fleeing. 

General Wheaton's column advanced beyond Pasig to the shore of 
Laguna de Bay, sweeping everything before it The enemy made a running 
fight and suffered a severe loss. 

The rebels' avenue of communication north and south was closed, the 
American cordon stretching over a mile from the river to the lake. The 
rebels were in force at Pateros and Taguig. At about eight o clock the 
Twenty-second regular infantry advanced until it encountered a number of 
volleys. This fire was returned with interest. The strongly fortified village 
of Gaitai was captured after a desperate fight by the Twentieth regular in- 
fantry. 

There was much satisfaction in the War Department at Washington 
over the receipt of this cablegram from Major General Otis : 



CAPTURE OF PASIG AND PATEROS. ii»'^> 

Manila, March 15, 11^99. 
Adjutant General, Washington : 

Three thousand insurgents moved down last night to towns of Pasig and 
I'ateros, on shore Laguna de Bay, fronting Wlicaton's troops on Pasig River 
lir.^. By heavy fighting Wheaton has dislodged and driven them back, taking 
foui. hundred prisoners and inflicting heavy loss in killed and wounded. He 
^epo«s his loss as very moderate. He now occupies those towns with suffi- 
cient force to hold them. Otis. 

T\r^; nformation given by General Otis was just what the War Depart- 
ment was expecting to hear from him. It indicated that he was vigorously 
carrying c>ut his plan of dividing Aguinaldo's forces and crushing them wher- 
ever they could be found. It was expected that the advantages gained would 
be vigorously followed up until Aguinaldo was forced to surrender uncondi- 
tionally. The exploits of our brave soldiers and sailors have called forth many 
tributes in verse, among which the following deserves a conspicuous place ; 

O 'Tis Dewey. 

Who rules our ships and gives command? 
Who leads our soldiers on the land ? 
What heroes brave the battle's din, 
Assail the foe and victory win ? 
Otis-Dewey. 

Who watch and guard Manila Bay, 
Each moment ready for the fray ? 
Who bid the Yankees sweep the field 
Where fierce insurgents are concealed ? 
Otis-Dewey. 

Who pour hot shot in rebel ranks, 
And stop that Aguinaldo's pranks ? 
Charge on his hordes with sword and gun. 
And hke scared rabbits make them run ? 
Otis Dewey. 

Who wave " Old Glory " at Manila, 
O'er poor man's hut and rich man's villa ? 
Who send to Washington report 
That night and day they " hold the fort ?'' 
Otis-Dewey. 

What Admiral across the seas 
His four-starred flag flies in the breeze, 
Defends with pride his country's fame, 
And makes himself a glorious name? 
O 'tis Dewey. 
20-D 




CHAPTER XIX. 

Brilliant Achievements of the American Army. 

HE fighting continued near Manila, the object of the American troopg 
being to rout the insurgents, and by one blow end their rebellion. 
The following despatch, under date of March 26th, reported the 
steady advance of our forces : 

" MacArthur has advanced two miles beyond Polo, nine miles from 
Manila, and fifteen miles from Malolos. Insurgents stoutly resisting behind 
succeeding lines of intrenchments, from which troops continually drove them. 
City perfectly quiet, and native inhabitants appear to be relieved of anxiety 
and fear of insurgents, Otis." 

From detailed accounts of the fighting it appears that at daybreak Mac- 
Arthur dashed beyond Polo and to the north-east, and captured Meicauayan, 
This place is two miles beyond Polo. It was not taken without a fight. The 
insurgents left detachments in all the trenches to delay the advance. Meicau- 
ayan is at the base of the rough hills and the jungle. 

Fresh Troops Rushed Forward. 

The road forward is in clear ground. The railroad over the conquered 
country to the rear was repaired and fresh troops were rushed forward. 
Among those who fell at taking of Meicauayan was Captain Krayenbuh, com- 
missary lieutenant of the Third Artillery. He was mortally wounded. 

Malabon was burned by the insurgents, and the 5000 rebels who consti- 
tuted its garrison retreated to rejoin Aguinaldo's main column of insurgents 
at Malolos. The town of Malinta, beyond the Tuliahan river, was taken by 
General Wheaton's division. The fighting was sharp all day, and the battle- 
field was carpeted with the insurgent dead. Our own losses were compara- 
tively slight, though among our dead was Colonel Harry C. Egbert, a hero 
of two wars. 

The plan to cut off the 5000 insurgents in Malolos failed by reason o{ 
the roughness of the ground and the thickness of the jungle, which prevented 
General MacArthur from getting far enough around to the north of Polo to 
shut the enemy in. We had to be content with a victory consisting of our 
having driven the enemy from his position. The victory in this light was a 
sweeping one. The insurgents, though beset with cavalry, infantry and artil- 
lery, volunteers and regulars, fought desperately in their trenches. There 

were engaged the Fourth, Twenty-second and Twenty-third Infantry, the Utah 
306 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. nu? 

Troop, the Third Artillery and the Oregon troops. These were stretched o it 
along the railroad from Caloocan to the Tuliahan river. 

The rebels destroyed the bridge over the river, and on the further side 
made their stand. While the engineers were trying to replace the bridge on 
the iron girders the Second Oregon Regiment dashed across the river, wading 
and swimming. 

The Twenty-second and four companies of the Twenty-third gained the 
west bank of the Tuliahan about the same time. This brought them exactly 
opposite Malinta. From the river where the American troops .struggled up 
the bank there is a steady ri.se of half a mile to the village, which crowns the 
hills. The crest of the rise was torn up entrenchments, and, with their eyes 
fixed on these, the Americans moved steadily forward. The light artillery 
began to throw up the brown earth. The target work was perfect, but no 
Filipino showed himself and the troops could not tell how much damage was 
being done. 

The rebels had profited by the lessons we had taught them. They 
reserved their fire until our troops were within 300 yards. The Twenty- 
second was in the advance when the seemingly dead trenches came to life 
with a fringe of fire. With Colonel Egbert at the head the Twenty-second 
dashed at the entrenchments. The Oregon and Kansas troops, at the right 
and left respectively, were fighting with equal gallantry, but they were in the 
woods and made no .spectacle as fine as that furnished by the advance of the 
Twenty-second. In the middle of the charge Colonel Egbert fell forward on 
his saddle, shot through the abdomen. 

Death of Colonel Egbert. 

Close behind him, struggling through the grass, regardless of the hot 
fire, came General Wheaton and his .staff They bore the litter with the 
mortally wounded Colonel back past the General, who bared his head and 
gave a soldier's greeting to the dying officer. 

" It was done nobly," said the General. 

"I am done for; I am too old," ga.sped Egbert. He was dead before 
they got him to the rear. 

The charge swept on until three lines of trenches had been taken and 
thirty of our men were down, killed or wounded. Despite the new con- 
servatism of the insurgents that led them to hold their fire and to shoot low 
they did not wait for our troops. 

The trenches were empty when the men of the Twenty-second piled into 
them. While they were ga.sping there from the heat and the dead and 
wounded were being brought in to the shade of the trees to be carried across 



308 BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 

the river by the Chinese stretcher-bearers, MacArthur's advance guard — the 
Third Artillery and the Twentieth Kansas Regiment — joined Wheaton. 

The advance to Malinta was made over the Nivaliches Rial. Hale's 
command in the flank movement of MacArthur's division surprised the insur- 
gents in the northern trenches. The Filipinos fled along the railroad, burn- 
ing rice mills, tearing up the tracks and obstructing all they knew how. 
They finally took refuge in the church at Malinta, where they made a stand. 
The American troops were coming on the run, however, and Malinta was 
taken by assault, the rebels continuing to retreat toward Polo, destroying as 
they went. As they fell back the insurgents broke up into comparatively 
small bodies, so the day's fighting was really a series of small battles. 

Flight of the Insurgents Toward Malolos. 

The Second Oregon found its work cut out for it by lOOO Philipinos 
west of Malinta. These came from Malabon, and manned four rows of 
entrenchments. They did not shoot as well as the crowd that faced 
Wheaton, and abandoned their trenches within an hour. The Third Ar- 
tillery, with two guns from Utah, and supported by the Kansas troops, 
also came against some of the entrenched rebels. The American losses 
were confined to a few wounded. 

General MacArthur's division advanced along the torn-up railroad 
toward Malabon. Ahead of them, could be seen the black smoke rising 
from the burning town. The insurgents realized that they could not hold 
Malabon, and alarmed at the narrow escape they had from being caught 
in it, as in a trap, they fled back toward Malolos as fast as they could go. 

The day's action was beautifully conducted. When Wheaton's bri- 
gade was wading the river the insurgent bullets were churning and spat- 
tering the water in their faces. Our soldiers dashed up the north bank 
dripping, and without stopping to shake the water from them, swept on 
over the ridge and into the rebel entrenchments. In the midst of it 
all came volley after volley from the left. And as suddenly as if it had 
been a battle on the stage, MacArthur's right wing appeared over the hill, 
cheering wildly. 

Their sudden appearance was too much for the insurgents. They 
threw down their rifles and ran. The American forces, in a great triangle, 
rushed after them, and the slaughter among the fleeing natives was ter- 
rific. It was a magnificent picture of war, with the Fourth Cavalry gal- 
loping along the crest of the farthest hills shooting as they rode. Can- 
non, carbine and rifles were all belching forth death, and the smoke 
framed it all. 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 309 

The American army advanced at 6 o'clock on the morning of the 29!!^ 
sweeping onward tliree miles before 10 o'clock, and driving the insurgents 
beyond Bocave, to the east of Bulacan and on the railroad leading to Malolos. 
Our troops met with but slight resistance. The Filipinos fired volleys for the 
purpose of drawing the American fire and disclosing the locality of our posi- 
tions. Two men of the Pennsylvania regiment and one man belonging to 
the Dakota regiment were wounded. The Americans remained silent. 

Looked as if Swept by a Cyclone. 

The country between Marilao and Manila presented a picture of desola- 
tion. Smoke curled from hundreds of ash heaps, and the remains of trees 
and fences torn by shrapnel were to be seen everj'where. The general appear- 
ance of the country was as if it had been swept by a cyclone. The roads 
were strewn with furniture and clothing dropped in flight by the Filipinos. 
The only persons remaining behind were a few aged persons too infirm to 
escape. They camped beside the ruins of their former homes p.nd begged 
passers-by for any kind of assistance. The majority of them^ were living on 
the generosity of our soldiers, who gave them portions of their rations. The 
dogs of the Filipinos cowered in the bushes, still terrified and barking, while 
hundreds of pigs were to be seen busily searching for food. 

Bodies of dead Filipinos were stranded in the shallows of the river, or 
were resting in the jungle where they crawled to die, or were left in the wake 
of the hurriedly retreating army. These bodies gave forth a horrible odor, 
but there was no time to bury them. 

The inhabitants who fled from Marilao and Meycauayan left in such 
a panic that on tables our soldiers found .spread money and valuables, and 
in the rooms were trunks containing other property of value. This was 
the case in most of the houses deserted. They were not molested by our 
soldiers, but the Chinese who slipped in between the armies were looting 
when they could, and took possession of several houses, over which they 
raised Chinese flags, some of which were torn down. An old woman was 
found hidden in a house at Meycauayan yesterday just dead, apparently from 
fright and hunger. 

Malolos. the insurgent capital, was captured on the morning of March 
31st by the American troops, after a hot fight. The final advance began 
before daylight. After eating a good breakfast the troops started from their 
former line in the following order, extending from left to right : 

Third United States Artillery; Montana Volunteers; Kansas Volun- 
teers; Tenth Pennsylvania; South Dakota Volunteers; Nebraska Volun- 
teers ; Fourth United States Cavalry. 



SIO BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 

Shortly before 3 o'clock the army began its cautious advance, meeting 
.^hnost immediately with a heavy fire on the right. The troops advanced 
regardless of the rain of bullets, driving the insurgents from their trenches 
into the thickets. The army then advanced two miles and discovered an 
insurgent outpost .^trongly intrenched. The natives came forward flying a 
white flag and asked for mercy. They assured our troops that they were 
unarmed, but when they returned to their trenches they immediately opened 
a sharp fire on our lines, which was soon silenced. 

Major General MacArthur entered Malolos, the seat of the so-called 
insurgent government, at half-past nine in the morning, the rebels burning 
the city and simultaneously evacuating it. The American soldiers went 
yelling down the street toward the principal square. Several ineffective shots 
greeted them from a stone barricade at the head of the street, but the troops 
rushed on, the insurgents fleeing. 

The city was found to be burning, but the troops speedily took posses- 
sion of it. Terrible confusion prevailed. The Chinese were flocking back 
into the city ; the terrified insurgents were firing parting volleys as they re- 
treated, and the troops were returning the fire. 

A Brilliant Campaign. 

The service of our troops in the Philippines was such as to cause every 
American heart to swell with pride. There was not one act of cowardice nor 
a step of retreat, and good generalship was supported by a soldiery whose 
courage, patience and fighting would make the honor page of any country 
stand more gloriously forth in its history. 

The campaign in the East had, however, peculiar qualities which com- 
mended those engaged in it to the hearts of their countrymen. It was fought 
chiefly by the citizen soldiers, the regiments of the National Guard, not one of 
whom had until within a few months seen a shot fired in battle, and they all 
conducted themselves with the precision of regular troops and of veterans. 

The regiments furnished by their respective States were volunteers, the 
boys from the plow, the clerks from the store, and officers who had only until 
within less than a year looked upon soldiery as a military picnic, a playtime 
period for armory drills and dances, a matter of uniform and flirtation. But 
back of this existed the real soldier's spirits, the fighting capacity which 
belonged to the Old Guard, the armies of Marlborough, Cromwell and Fred- 
erick the Great. Being called upon to exhibit it they responded with such 
.splendid courage that the nation which sent them forth began to realize the 
potentiality of the race and to know that it is a people of strength in war as 
in the other channels through which it has attained grandeur. 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. ^^'i 

The next event of iiupoitancc in the Phihppines after the downfall oi 
Malolos was the capture of Santa Cruz, oa Laguna de Bay, by General Law- 
ton's forces on the niornint^ of April lO'h. This was done after a sharp en- 
gagement with the rebel defenders, who were commanded by Pac-Wah. a 
Chinaman 

General Lawton's expedition left San Pedro Macati at dusk on Saturday, 
intending to attack Santa Cruz at daybreak Sunday, but in navigating the 
tortuous Pasig River, perhaps through the cunning of the native pilots, several 
boats grounded, and it was nearly dawn when the troops reached the lake. 
The expedition then steamed cauti )usly forward, the Napidan and the Oeste 
ahead, the Laguna de Bay guarding the rear. Rebel signal fires were lighted 
on the mountain tops, giving warning of their approach. 

It was noon before the white church towers of Santa Cruz appeared in 
the shadow of a great volcanic mountain on a marshy plain, dotted with occa- 
sional palm groves. 

A casco, bearing two hundred picked sharpshooters, under Major Wei- 
senberger. mostly of the First Washington regiment, was run into a shallow 
inlet about five miles south of the city. A few shells were sent towards the 
intrenchments of the rebels at the edge of the woods, sending the enemy 
scampering inland. The Americans then landed. Three troops of the 
Fourth Cavalry, unmounted, were also put ashore on a marshy point, south 
of the city, under fire from the enemy's trenches. 

General Lawton Reconnoitres. 

Meanwhile in the town itself there were utter silence and no signs of 
life. General Lawton, wishing to make an inspection, went on board the 
Laguna de Bay, and, accompanied by a launch, steamed slowly to the dock, 
the expedition watchtng anxiously. When it was discovered by the glasses 
that the trenches and slonc buildings were swarming with white clad soldiers, 
the boats withdrew, receiving volleys from the trenches thrown up on a 
marshy plain north of the city. 

The boats anchored in compact formation for the night, ready to resist 
any surprise from rebel gunboats, supposed to be in the lake. At about 
sunrise the assault began. The American line south of the city stretched two 
miles inland, and. with its left sweeping the shore, it moved north, while the 
Fourth cavalrymen advanced toward the city from the north, pouring volleys 
upon the trenches. Simultaneously the gunboats hovered along the shore, 
shellmg the woods ahead of the troops. The Catling cleared several trenches. 

The whole brigade was divided into squads of twelve, and the fighting 
was carried on in frontiei fashion, from behind trees, crawling tluough bushes 



312 BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 

or rushing across the open. The trenches gave considerable resistance when 
the line was nearing the city, and although the Laguna de Bay and Oeste 
bombarded for an hour they did not succeed in clearing them entirely. 

General Lavvton, with the Fourteenth infantry battalions, approached a 
narrow iron bridge across a creek south of the town. Here a company of 
Filipinos was intrenched behind a stone barricade at the bridge entrance. The 
.^Americans rushed forward in single file, in the face of a galling fire, demol- 
ished the barricade with their hands and drove out the enem.y, killing a dozen. 

Fought from House to House. 

The Filipino soldiers in the town, secreted in buildings and firing from 
the windows, gave the invaders constant annoyance. There was a regulaf 
nest of them in the stone jail. The Americans singly or in pairs entered the 
houses, and took many warriors prisoners. 

A considerable body of Filipinos fled northward over the open marshes, 
but the Catlings poured upon them a deadly hail. Major Weisenberger de- 
ployed the sharpshooters along the shore, and they crept steadily forward, 
aiding the Catlings. Finally a large body was sent against the enemy, driv- 
ing them into the mountains. 

Ceneral Lawton promptly established headquarters at the fine palace of 
the Governor. A guard was placed in the church, and within an hour the 
town was under patrol. Almost all the inhabitants had fled, and only a few 
Chinese shopkeepers emerged from hiding and resumed business. On the 
marshes north of the town were found forty dead Filipinos and many 
wounded, to whom the Americans offered their canteens as if they were 
comrades. 

Later in the day Lawton's flying column captured Pagsajan, and the 
insurgents fled, after which his unresisted column descended the Lumbang 
river and found the insurgents assembled in some force at the village of Lum- 
bang, which commands the mouth of the river. The latter was effectively 
obstructed to prevent the entrance of gunboats. The Laguna shelled the 
shore from the lake, driving the main force of the insurgents out. Only a 
small number remained within an old church to oppose the troops. These 
, maintained a steady fire until rushed by the land force. 

On the same date there was an offensive outbreak of the Filipinos, when 
an attack was made on MacArthur's men, who were guarding the railroad 
line between Malolos and Manila. The rebels massed at Bocave and Marilao 
The attack was repulsed, but five American soldiers were killed and fourteen 
wounded. Many insurgents were slain. General Lawton's victory at Sant* 
Cruz was more sweeping than at first supposed. 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 315 

A furious battle was fought between the Americans and Filipinos oa 

April 23d. The scene of the battle was Quingan, five miles northeast o! 

Malolos. Major Bell, of the Fourth United States C;«valry, was ordered to 

make a reconnoissance in order to develop the strength of the insurgents. He 

took Lieutenant Rutherford and sixty-one men of che Fourth Cavalry. A\.t 

diybreak this little body of Americans reached the insurgent position. Major 

Boll and Lieutenant Rutherford, with five men, went ahead of the rest of the 

reconnoitering party. The insurgents saw iihem, but withheld their fire, evi-. 

dontly expecting that the remainder of the company would soon come within 

rar.ge. 

The Insurgents Open Fire. 

Maior Bell's orders from General MacArthur explicitly instructed him to 
ascertain the strength of the encm)-. The remainder of the cavalry was 
advanced. As soon as the little command came within range the insurgents 
opened with a hot fire. One American soldier was killed and five wounded 
by the first voile}-. 

Major Bell immediately sent for reinforcements. The cavalry held its 
ground bravely. The insurgents fought like demons. The Filipinos sent 
canoe loads of soldiers down the river. These landed on both the right and 
left sides of the American soldiers, surrounding them on three sides. They 
were forced back, but they fought hard for every inch of ground which they 
gave to the rebels. 

The Filipinos followed up their advantage. They had driven Major Bell 
and his men nearly three-quarters of a mile from Quingan, when Major 
Morford, with a bittalion of the First Nebraska V< lunteers, hastened up to 
the assistance of the retreating cavalrymen. Instead of the new troops chang- 
ing the tide of battle and causing the Filipinos to retreat, the insurgents held 
th'^'ir ground and fought more savagely. The battle was fought in a fog, 
which enabled the enemy to keep close to the Americans without being 
seen. 

Next two companies of the Iowa Regiment advanced to the fighting line, 
but later they were withdrawn, beinc; on guard duty. The rest of the Ne- 
braska Regiment next came up. General Hale arrived shortly afterward with 
the rest of the lowans. The Americans were ordered forward to take the 
positions which the insurgents were holding. 

Just as the forward movement began Colonel Stotsenberg came dashing 
'ip and took his place at the head of his regiment. He had just returned to 
Malolos from Manila, where he had been visiting his wife. He heard of the 
battle, rushed to Quingan and reached his men in time to lead them in the 
storming of the insurgent trenches. During this charge in the withering hall 



•^14 Bx^TTLLS AROUND MANILA. 

of bullets Colonel Stotsenberg was shot. An insurgent bullet pierced his 
heart. He dropped dead within a few yards of the trenches. 

Three guns from the Utah Artillery reached the fighting ground just as 
the Nebraskans were making their charge. Their advance, assisted by the 
shells from the artillery, broke the resistance of the insurgents, and after half 
an hour more of fighting they were driven from Quingan. The village was 
occupied by the Americans. 

Total American Loss. 

Of the members of the Seventh Cavalry which came up with General 
Hale three were killed and five wounded. Five men were killed in the 
Nebraska regiment, including Colonel Stotsenberg and Lieutenant Sisson, 
and over thirty wounded. Several members of thclovv^a troops were wounded. 
The total American loss was eight killed and forty three wounded. Fifteen 
dead Filipinos were found in the trenches, but it is not believed they suffered 
heavily, as they were protected during most of the battle. 

Major Bell's horse was shot from beneath him. The bullet passed 
through Major Bell's legging. Major Mallory's horse also was killed. Lieu- 
tenant Sisson, of the Nebraskans, was found to have been shot, like his com- 
manding officer, through the heart. The members of the Nebraska Regiment 
were overwhelmed with grief over the loss of their colonel. Colonel Stotsen- 
berg was noted as an absolutely fearless officer and brave commander. The 
Nebraska soldiers felt that their loss was irreparable. 

Filipinos Driven from their Position. 

The American forces, after a series of brilliant and daring forward move- 
ments, took and occupied the village of Calumpit April 25th. The Filipinos 
set fire to the town before they left, and the Americans found the houses 
burning when they dashed up the village streets after the fleeing insurgents. 
The Americans first drove the Filipinos from their position on the north bank 
of the Bagdag river. The defenses at this point were strong and the enemy 
was found well intrenched and desperately eager to check the American 
advance, for three intrenchments formed the sole defence with which the Fili- 
pinos had guarded the southern approach to Calumpit. The village lies onf 
mile beyond these fortifications taken by our men. It occupies a position 00 
the southern bank of the Rio Grande. After the fortifications had been taken 
the Americans steadily and pluckily advanced and took possession of Cal- 
umpit. 

The Filipinos had made elaborate preparations to check the advance of 
XSq Americans at the fortification on the Bagdag river. The bamlop« r^ne 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 315 

growth which fronted the defenses had been cut away, so that the enemy had 
a clean sweep for their fire and an unobstructed view of the American 
approach. The defenses were very strong. 

General Hale began his advance toward Calumpit down the north bank 
of the river, which he cros.sed at Quigua, after a hard fight with the insurgents. 
He had been instructed to move on to Calumpit from the east, while General 
MacArthur stood ready to send a column of troops north from Malolos on 
the railroad when he received word that General Hale's troops had reached a 
point near Calumpit. In carrying out his part of the plan General Hale met 
a stubborn, and, at times, desperate opposition from the Filipinos. In charg- 
ing the enemy's intrenchments our troops lost six men. Eleven were 
wounded. 

In return our men inflicted heavy losses upon the insurgents, for it is 
believed that 150 of the Filipinos were killed at one point. At another point 
our men surrounded thirty-eight insurgents who refused to surrender, and 
continued firing until the last one was killed. 

Sharp Firing by Our Machine Guns. 

At 8 o'clock in the morning General MacArthur, who was at Malolos, 
received advices that everything was ready for the advance up the railroad 
toward Calumpit, and he ordered General Wheaton to load his brigade on 
the train and proceed northward. The armored cars of the train were filled 
with men of Wheaton's brigade and the moving fort steamed north, approach- 
ing within 1,500 yards of the insurgent intrenchments. 

The Filipinos were busy watching the advance of Hale's flanking 
column. When the ironclad train reached a point on the tracks about 1,500 
yards from the enemy the rapid-fire guns of the Americans began playing on 
the entrenched insurgents. The centre of fire was the breastworks on the north 
branch of the river and the machine guns were used with good effect. \\ ith 
the machine guns hurling shot, the train was pushed forward steadily until it 
was well within 500 yards of the insurgents' firing line. The enemy con- 
centrated their fire from the right upon the train. 

Under this hot crossfire General Wheaton's men left the train and rushed 
forward, under an increasing fire. The insurgents had partially destroyed 
the bridge across the river, and the Americans rushed over the partly de- 
molished structure, jumping into the river and swimming the rest of the way. 
When the Americans reached the shore the insurgents fell back in goo^ 
order, maintaining a galling fire during the retreat. The Americans took 
possession of the works of the enemy and immediately General MacArthur 
ordered General Hale to the north to make a reconnoissance in force. 



316 BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 

The fighting around Calumpit was resumed in the morning of April 26tb 
at 6 o clock. For the first time the Filipinos employed artillery. They 
brought two guns into action in the trenches before Calumpit, firing modern 
shrapnel, which burst over the heads of General Wheato, 's men without 
effect. General Wheaton's brigade advanced in extended order, with the 
Kansas Regiment to the west of the railroad, and the Montana Regiment to 
the east of it, and took up a position covering one and a half miles on the 
south bank of the Rio Grande. On the opposite bank were fortified trenches, 
from which a few American soldiers would have been able to defy thousands, 
so strongly were they constructed. 

The Americans found the trenches on the south bank of the river de^ 
serted, which furnished them with cover from which they could pick off 
Filipinos whenever one of them showed his head. 

When the rebels began firing two puffs of smoke, simultaneously, from 
the trenches on each side of the railroad track showed they were using can- 
non, which was a genuine surprise to the Americans. Several shells burst 
close to General Wheaton's staff, but it seemed that the Filipinos failed to 
master the machinery of modern shells, as they were unable to get the right 
range. 

Rebels Still Pouring a Heavy Fire. 

Young's LTtah Battery was ordered into position in the centre of the 
Kansas Regiment to silence the rebel guns, and at 1 1 o clock the rapid-fire 
guns had been ferried across the river and came into line. At noon the 
rebels were still pouring a heavy fire in the direction of the Americans,, 
who returned it spiritedly. Two Americans were killed and seven were 
wounded. At about this time General Hale's brigade was advancing east of 
the line, apparently to cross the river and attack the rebel trenches in the 
flank, as the Americans did the previous day. 

General MacArthur secured an order issued by Aguinaldo to the rebel 
commanders telling them to instruct their men to economize their fire, save 
the empty shells, and not to fire at the enemy when the latter was under 
cover. The Filipinos were also instructed never to fire at a longer range 
than 1 60 yards, and when they had a river or other obstruction in front to 
hold their fire until within ninety yards. 

General Lawton met with the greatest obstacles in the character of the 
'country. He was forced to put his men at work building roads, and the 
transport service gave him much trouble, bullocks dying of the heat and 
exhaustion, and Chinamen having to be employed in pulling some of the carts. 
The natives fled before the expedition, but they swarmed back to their huts ay 
soon as the American troops passed. 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 317 

The most brilliant exploit and the winning of the greatest American 
victory in the battles around Manila occurred on the 27th. The taking of 
/he bridge over the Rio Giande at Calunipit was a deed of astonishing daring. 
It was the most strongly defended position held by the insurgents. Located 
on the north shore of the Rio Grande, opposite Calumpit, it is the most 
valuable strategic point in Luzon. The fact that it was guarded by the most 
trustworthy and best disciplined regiments of General Aguinaldo made the 
feat more noteworthy. Army officers said the daring displayed by the 
American troops was almost unparalleled in the annals of modern warfare. 

Colonel Funston's Gallant Charge. 

It was a red-letter day for the Twentieth Regiment of Kansas Vxjiunteer?, 
commanded by Colonel Funston. One hundred and twenty men belonging 
to that regiment crossed the river in the face of a deadly fire from 3,000 
insurgent Mausers. This torrent of bullets was augmented by a fusillade of 
a Maxim gun, of which the insurgents had obtained possession. 

Colonel Funston, with only nine men, charged- the trenches manned by 
thousands of insurgents, discharging their rifles as they ran up the embank- 
ments. The American artillery on the south shore of the Rio Grande 
poured shot and shell into the Filipino stronghold. The rebels were stam- 
peded. They went to the north, toward Bacolor. Despite the extraordinary 
risks and chances taken by the Americans our troops suffered very few casu- 
alties. Only one man was killed, and the wounded do not exceed a dozen. 
The insurgents lost heavily, fully twenty-five were killed during the mad 
charge of Colonel Funston's men on the trenches. 

In telling of the engagement, in order to give an adequate idea of the 
bravery of our troops, and the extraordinary character of their achievement, 
it is necessary to describe the defense held by the Filipinos, and the topog- 
raphy of the country. The bridge where the desperate fighting took place 
is about a hundred yards long. It extends over the Rio Grande, and is the 
gateway, practically, to the entire northern portion of the Island of Luzon. 
All the ties and rails had been removed from the structure, making it almost 
impossible to cross, as the men had to creep along the iron framework. 

At the further end of the bridge, opposite Calumpit, were the most care- 
fully constructed and formidable earthworks. They seemed almost impreg- 
nable. They were in the form of semi-circular trenches around the approach 
of the bridge. The trenches had roofs of steel rails. These roofs formed a 
splendid protection against bursting shells, and for a time made the work of 
the artillery almost futile. These earthworks extended for a long distance in 
either direction. They were evidently the work of many weeks. An old 



318 BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 

Spanish cannon was mounted near the railway, with its muzzle pointed south 
toward Calunipit. 

About 300 yards west of the raih'oad, on the north shore of the Rio 
Grande, a deep, narrow stream empties into the river. Beyond this stream are 
other trenches commanding the south shore of the river. The American 
forces occujDied the south shore, within 400 yards of the insurgent earthworks. 
Early in the morning the Filipinos began a steady fire from both their infantry 
and artillery. Most of it was directed upon the freight house where the Sixth 
Artillery guns were stationed. The Americans, however, returned such a 
heavy fire that the insurgents were obliged to keep beneath the cover of thei/ 
earthworks. 

It was during this fire that Colonel Funston and his 120 Kansans per- 
formed the exploit of the day. They marched down to the river, a distance 
of 300 yards from the freight house, in plain view of the insurgents. Imme- 
diately the Filipino fire was directed upon the Kansas men. Colonel Funston 
and his men Avere prepared to cross the river so that they could make a flank 
attack upon the rebels in. the trenches. Privates White and Trembly, of Com- 
pany D, of the Kansas regiment, stripped off their uniforms, jumped into the 
river and swam directly toward the Filipino breastworks. Almost immediately 
they drew the fire from the trenches of the insurgents, but evidently they had 
not been noticed by the insurgents at the end of the bridge. The latter were 
fully occupied by the artillery and infantry fire of the Americans. 

Great Bravery of Two Soldiers. 

When White and Trembly reached the shore they carried a rope to the 
beach, tied it to an upright of the bridge, and by making a tremendous noise 
frightened the insurgents out. They had no arms, but they threw clods of 
dirt into the trenches and kept up such a terrific yelling that the insurgents 
thought a whole company was upon them. All this time Colonel Funston 
and his men on the south shore of the river kept up a steady fire, thereby 
protecting White and Trembly. Two more Kansans followed in a small boat 
with the clothes and rifles which had been stripped off by Trembly and White, 
but the boat capsized. Its contents were lost and the two men in it were 
obliged to swim for their lives. 

Colonel Funston in the meantime followed on a raft with about 20 men. 
Close behind him came two more rafts on which were 30 men. The appear- 
ance of this number revealed to the main force of the Filipinos the daring 
trick which had been practiced upon them. Immediately they directed a 
wild fire toward the rafts. It was ineffective. As soon as Colonel Funston 
reached the opposite shore with his 50 men he rushed down to the small 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 319 

stream which empties into the Rio Grande, about 300 yards from the railront' 
bridge. His men were yelling like demons. They were pouring a terrific 
enfilading fire into the main trenches of the insurgents across the smal 
stream. 

The Philipinos became panic stricken. There was a regular stampede. 
When Colonel Funston saw them running he searched for some place to 
cross, and in so doing got under the fire from several hundred insurgents 
who had retreated some distance from the smaller stream. A Maxim gun 
opened on them from a different direction, and this fire compelled them to re- 
tire. When the Maxim ceased the Filipinos relumed. Finally Colonel 
Funston found a small boat, and, with Captain Orwig and eight men, crossed 
the small river, and with this handful of volunteers charged straight into the 
neavy trenches held by the Filipinos. They chased the insurgents out of 
their protected position, and by the time Colonel Funston reached the rail- 
road the Kansas and Montana troops began creeping across the bridge. 

It was thought the insurgents had fled. They were noticed, however, in 
a big field to the rear of their entrenchment forming a long skirmish line. 
St;veral hundred of them prepared to advance. They appeared greatly de- 
moralized, however. Two generals on horses galloped wildly back and forth 
endeavoring to restore order. They finally got the Filipinos into fairly good 
order as a skirmish line. Then generals could be seen by the Americans 
urging their men to advance. As the line moved forward the Kansas Regi- 
ment opened fire from the position on the north bank of the Rio Grande. 
The insurgents broke again. 

Following Up the Insurgents- 

The advance had just begun when General Wheaton, v/ho crossed the 
bridge among the first troops who had gone over under the cover of Colonel 
Funston's men, ordered all available troops to attack the flying insurgents. 
As they retreated the Kansas and Montana regiments followed them, while 
Colonel Funston ordered the Nebraska and the South Dakota regiments to 
cross the bridge and follow the soldiers from Kan.sas and Nebraska in the 
chase. Then followed a long running fight. The insurgents endeavored to 
reach Minalin, the next .station on the railroad. The locomotives were 
visible there with .steam up. Some of the Filipinos succeeded in reaching 
this train, which steamed rapidly north. About thirty who were unable to 
get on the train advanced to the American lines under a flag of truce and sur- 
rendered. Many escaped through the woods. 

Aspalit, tiie next station, was srt on fire by the insurgents and was 
burned. The Filipinos had evacuated the town before our troops reached it 



320 BATTLES AROUND MANILA. 

The two batteries of artillery known at Manila as the " Mormons " be- 
came famous on account of their heroic exploits. Sturdy city men from 
Pennsylvania, plainsmen from Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota, and 
miners and cowboys from Montana and Idaho, have all charged under the 
protection of the twelve guns of the Utah artillery, and the generals have 
taken pride in giving credit and promotion to its brave men. 

Utah Battery's Brilliant Achievements. 

There is special interest in the East, too, in the performances of this 
organization. Major Richard W. Young, the senior officer of the battalion, 
is a graduate of Columbia University Law School, a West Pointer, and spent 
many years on Governor's Island as Judge Advocate of the Department of 
the East under General Hancock. Major Grant, Commander of the Second 
battery, was a graduate of the Canadian School of Artillery, and spent many 
years of his life in the East. 

Utah prepared in 1886 for the distinction that has now come to her by 
purchasing eight 3.2-inch modern field guns immediately after she was ad- 
mitted to the Union. At that time there was a large sum in the Treasury at 
Washington, the accumulation of many years' allowances for militia organi- 
zation. This, on the advice of Major Young, formerly an officer of the Fifth 
artillery, then a lawyer in Salt Lake City, was used in the purchase of the 
cannon, and when the war began he was entrusted with the organization of 
three batteries of volunteers. 

Two of these were taken on the transports Colon and China on the 
second military expedition to Manila, embarking on June 15, 1898, and it 
was their fortune to be engaged in the first battle with the Spaniards. Four 
of the guns were posted to guard the advanced post of the American troops 
in front of Malate. Barely eight hundred yards in front of them were the 
Spanish trenches and forts, and only the Tenth Pennsylvania was near to 
support them. 

The handful of men at the guns had a memorable taste of war on the 
night of July 31st, when a tropical rain was flooding the trenches and shut- 
ting out everything from their sight. In the midst of the storm the Spaniards 
opened fire from their trenches, and soon a body of more than three thousand 
were charging on the guns and the Pennsylvanians. 

Captains Young and Grant and almost all the other officers of the bat- 
teries were with General Greene at Camp Dewey. The guns were in charge 
of Lieutenant Orrin M. Grow, who was barely twenty-seven years old. Sup- 
ported by the Pennsylvanians, the men held to their position, pouring shrapnel 
in the direction of the Spanish lines, and at one time seeing the faces of their 



BATTLES AROUND MANILA. .'^21 

charging foes by the flash of their guns. Finally when their ammunition was 
almost exhausted General Greene came up with infantry support, and Capta:ns 
Young and Grant led the other eager men of the Utah batteries, who were 
pulling their guns through mud that reached the hubs of the carriages. 

Even the advance of the Americans proved a danger for the brave little 
band, however, for when the Californians saw the flash of the Utah guns in the 
darkness they opened fire on the two score of men in the trenches and kept it 
up until they realized they had been shooting at friends. 

In the capture of Manila the post of honor was given to the Utah bat- 
teries. They opened fire early in the morning on the Spanish fort at Malate, 
and covered the advance of General Greene's division, which forced its way 
even to the walls of the old city. Special mention was made of the artillery- 
men and their officers in the report of the engagement. When the alarm 
sounded after the insurgent attack on the night of February 4th the Utah 
guns, now increased to twelve by the capture of cannon from the Spaniards, 
were m the city. But to each had been given its station, and soon the boys 
were rattling through the streets, dragging their guns in the midst of bullets 
that came from every side. At daylight they were guarding the infantr>' from 
the beach north of Manila to the Pasig river. 

Covers the Advance of Our Infantry. 

Two of the guns under Lieutenant W. C. Webb were directly in front of 
San Juan Bridge, over which had been fired the shot of the American sentry 
that brought the armies into conflict. So close were the cannon to the enemy 
that after the first fire the insurgents concentrated their attention on them, and 
two of the gunners were killed before the infantrymen could reach the rebel 
trenches. 

From one position to another along the whole front of the left wing the 
Utah batteries for three days covered the advance of the infantry. In the re- 
capture of the Manila water works, on which depended the safety of the city, 
seven of the guns shelled the insurgents from hill to hill. Churches, convents, 
monasteries and other buildings wherein Aguinaldo's men took refuge bear 
the marks of the accurate fire of the Westerners. 

On the right wing in this engagement Utah artillerj'men acted on the 

water, Lieutenant Naylor commanding the gunboat Laguna de Bay, dubbed 

by the soldiers the " Mud Hen," which prepared the way for the advance up 

the Pasig River. Afterward Major Grant, who had received promotion in 

company with Major Young for gallantry in action, was put in command of 

the fleet of gunboats which guarded the Pasig River and swept around Laguna 

de Bay, disorganizing the insurgents and later covering the landing of Law- 
21-D 



322 BATTLES AROUND MANII A.. 

ton's expedition on the lake shore. From Caloocan to Calumpit insurgent 
works show evidence of the work of the Utah gunners. They were in the 
advance hne of MacArthur's troops, covering the advance with canister that 
shook the bravery of Aguinaldo's best troops. 

As a reward for his efficiency Major Young was offered a commission in 
the regular army. During the early days of the occupation of Manila he 
was judge of the provost court, and his name was recommended to President 
McKinley for an appointment as lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate 
General's Department. 

Probably three-fourths of the men in the two batteries are Mormons. 
Many of them served their two or three years as missionaries for that Church 
and a Mormon chaplain was with the battalion. Major Young is a grandson 
of Brigham Young, and an elder and Mormon home missionary. Major 
Grant is a Gentile in Utah, in company with several of the brave officers in 
the battalion. There was no church feeling in the batteries, however. 

Spain Receives $20,000,000. 

Ambassador Cambon, as the diplomatic representative of the Spanish 
government in Washington, called at the State Department on May 1st and 
received from Secretary Hay four warrants for $5,000,000 each, making 
;^20,ooo,ooo, due to Spain under the treaty of Paris. 

There was little formality about the transfer of warrants. The Ambas- 
sador showed to Secretary Hay his authority from the Spanish government 
to receive the money, and after the warrants had been handed him he signed 
four copies of a receipt. He retained one copy and another was sent to Mr. 
Storer, the newly appointed American Minister to Spain. A third was sent 
to Ambassador Porter, at Paris, and the fourth was sent to the Treasury 
Department to be filed. 

This ended the details connected with the treaty of peace betw^en our 
Government and Spain, and prepared the way for diplomatic relatiotis to be 
resumed. The negotiations were conducted by Amba3i»acioir Cair/oon v/ith 
Excellent judgment and tact, and his work was highly commended. 




CHAPTER XX. 
Our Naval Hero Created an Admiral 

N March i, 1899, a public announcement was made in Washington 
in the following terms : 

" Within the next forty-eight hours Rear-Admiral George 
Dewey will run up on the Olympia a blue flag containing four 
white stars — the flag of admiral of the United States navy. 

" By a unanimous vote of the House of Representatives to-day the bill, 
which had already passed the Senate, authorizing the President to appoint by 
selection and promotion an admiral was agreed to. The bill was signed by 
the President as soon as it reached him, and Admiral Dewey will be notified 
by cable of his promotion. 

"This will give Admiral Dewey as high rank as any other naval com- 
mander in the world. It makes him outrank not only all officers of the 
United States navy, but all officers of the United States army, for there is no 
officer in the army higher than a major-general, which is the grade corres- 
ponding with rear-admiral in the navy. 

Gained the Highest Honor. 

"This bill is also of importance politically, for it enables Admiral Dewey 
to realize his highest ambition, that of being promoted by a special act of 
Congress to the highest grade of naval command. Although he has not 
been a presidential candidate, and has declined to allow his name to be used 
in connection with the nomination, it is more than ever assured now that he 
will not seek political honors. 

" There is some question in the Navy Department and in Congress as to 
whether additional legislation will not be required to enable Admiral Dewey 
to be given the pay of an admiral. When Mr. Boutelle called up the bill in the 
House, Mr. Fitzgerald, of Massachusetts, raised the point that it contained no 
provision for the pay of admiral, and suggested that it be amended. He said 
he had the authority of Mr. Cummings, of the Naval Committee, for the 
statement that it will be impossible to pay Admiral Dewey without a special 
provision of law. 

" Mr. Boutelle replied that this was all provided for in the Naval Per- 
sonnel Bill that had been passed. This measure provides that officers of the 

323 



324 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

navy shall be given the pay and allowances of officers of the army with cor- 
responding rank, with some special provisions as to officers on shore and sea 
duty. The revised statutes fix the pay of a general of the army at $13,500 
per year, and, although there is now no such officer as general of the army, 
the section fixing the pay has not been repealed. 

" If Mr. Boutelle's construction of the Personnel Bill and the revised 
statutes is correct, Admiral Dewey would receive ;$ 13,500 a year without 
special legislation. The matter will be looked into, and if it is found that 
legislation is necessary a joint resolution or a special bill will be rushed 
through Congress before adjournment." 

The next day another anouncement was made to the following effect: 

" Rear-Admiral George Dewey will be made an admiral in spite of 
Chairman Boutelle's efforts to prevent any legislation that did not at the same 
time provide for the grade of vice-admiral for Rear-Admiral Sampson. 

" To Representative Moody, of Massachusetts, is due the credit for out- 
flanking Mr. Boutelle and giving the House an opportunity to act. When 
the reading of the Naval Appropriation Bill had been completed to-day Mr. 
Moody secured recognition to offer an amendment, Mr. Boutelle, who knew 
what the amendment was, tried to shut him out by protesting against any 
amendment being offered which was not in order. Mr. Moody demanded 
that his amendment be read, and Mr. Sherman, of New York, who was pre- 
siding in the Committee of the Whole, directed the clerk to read it. 

Carried with Enthusiastic Shouts. 

"The reading was the signal for an outburst of applause, and Mr. 
Boutelle, evidently realizing that he was in a hopeless minority, did not make 
a point of order against it at once, but said he would reserve the point of 
order. Then, as Mr. Moody was proceeding to debate his amendment, Mr. 
Boutelle declared that he would not make the point of order if there could be 
a vote without debate. 

" ' Without a word,' exclaimed Mr. Moody at once, and there was a 
chorus of 'Vote!' 'Vote!' from all parts of the House. Mr. Sherman put 
the question, and there was a loud shout of 'Aye ! ' amid applause from the 
floor and galleries. He called for the negative. There was an instant of 
complete silence, and then the House broke into renewed and continued 
applause. The amendment had been adopted without a single vote in oppo- 
sition. 

"The amendment is in the language of the bill which has already passed 
the Senate, and there is no doubt that the Senate will concur in it without 
change. It provides : ' That the president is hereby authorized to appoint, 



DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 325 

by selection and promotion, an admiral of the navy, who shall not be placed 
upon the retired list except upon his own application, and whenever such 
office shall be vacated, by death or otherwise, the office shall cease to exist.'' 

And so George Dewey assumed the rank and hoisted the flag of an 
admiral of the American navy. Authority to take such action was cabled to 
him by Secretary Long. The cablegram was sent immediately after receipt 
of information from the Senate that it had confirmed the nomination sent in 
by the President earlier in the day. Upon the hoisting of the admiral's flag 
each vessel of the Asiatic squadron at Manila fired a salute of seventeen guns 
in recognition of the new rank of its commander-in-chief 

Immediately after the transmission of the nomination to the Senate 
Secretary Long sent this congratulatory message to the admiral : 

" Heartiest congratulations upon your deserved appointment as admiral. 

"Long," 

This cablegram was sent later in the afternoon : 

" The President adds congratulations upon your confirmation. " Long." 

Another message was sent authorizing Dewey to assume the rank and 
hoist the flag of an admiral. A commission was ordered to be prepared 
which would be similar to commissions usually issued, except that it would 
be more handsomely engraved. 

Views Concerning the Presidency. 

Admiral Dewey at once gave to a Manila correspondent a very full inter- 
view regarding the suggestion that the admiral be made a candidate for the 
Presidency. The correspondent says : 

"After talking of the previous day's experience, of the war and of minor 
matters, I asked Dewey if he objected to speak upon the subject that was 
interesting the millions of people to whom his name was a household word — 
upon the subject of his possible candidacy for the Presidency in 1900. 

" ' No ; I have no objections to talking of that subject, but, )'OU see, they 
want to know whether I am a Democrat or a Republican.' 

" ' And which, then, are you ? ' I asked. Dewey looked at me a moment 
and smiled. 

" Well, you see, I am a sailor. A sailor has no j-jolitics. The adminis- 
tration is his party, and, Republican or Democratic, it makes no difference. 
Then, again, I come from Vermont, and you know what that means. To be 
anything but a Republican in Vermont is to be a man without a party. My 
flag lieutenant comes from Georgia. He tells me that to be anything but a 
Democrat in the South is to be a nobody. If I lived South I would probably 
be a Democrat.' 



326 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

" ' Have you ever voted ? ' I asked. 

" ' Yes, years ago ; but my vote was usually influenced by personal pre- 
ference or local conditions. I am not a politician, have never held political 
ofiice, and am totally ignorant of party intricacies and affiliations.' 

" ' I understand Senator Proctor says Vermont will propose you for the 
Presidency,' I continued. 

" ^ Is that so ? How do you know ? ' the admiral questioned me. 

" I then read him an article referring to an interview to that effect. ' Had 
Senator Proctor reason to think you would accept such a nomination ?' I asked^ 

" ' The Senator is an old staunch friend of mine. I have known him all 
my life. He has written me on this subject. Others have asked permission 
to use my name. Don't you think it would be presumptuous to accept a 
nomination before it is offered ? Perhaps it would be equally previous to 
reject it.' 

" But I hadn't received an unequivocal answer yet, so I again referred to 
the question of presidential candidacy. An entire half hour the admiral 
j talked on this subject. I will not quote his words. It is too momentous a 
' question to dispose of in a few sentences. 

Not Ambitious for Political OfiBce. 

" No man, however strong in his purpose, can throw the thought of 
such a possibility over his shoulder slightly. Nor did Admiral Dewey. He 
discussed it gravely and seriously. He dwelt upon the great responsibilities 
of the office, the necessity of a life's training to equip the most able of men to 
occupy such an exalted and arduous office. 

" And, finally, he said that neither by vocation, disposition, education nor 
training was he capacitated to fill such a position. He said that he was too 
well along in life to consider such a possibility. His health would not admit 
it. All his life's work was in different lines of effort, and, while the kindness 
and enthusiasm were grateful to him, and the generous tributes of the Amer- 
ican people were dear to him, he could not and would not be a candidate for 
the Presidency of the United States under any conditions." The corres- 
pondent makes this statement, as he says, with the full consent and on the 
authority of Admiral Dewey : 

" ' If there is such a tide of sentiment it must be stemmed,' the admiral 
concluded." 

Soon after Dewey was created an admiral an organized movement was 
begun for the purpose of making him a present of a handsome house for his 
permanent residence. A committee in Washington sent out the following 
statement and appeal : 



DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 327 

" The American people are anxious to do honor to Admiral Dewey 
Their zeal has taken the form of invitations to banquets in many different 
cities, of celebrations, parades and display's. Obviously, it will be impossible 
for him to attend all the banquets, and it ma)- be invidious to select one or n 
few for the honor of his presence. The common sense of our countrymen 
does not find suitable expression for its admiration and esteem for our great 
naval hero in methods effervescent and transient. 

"A grateful nation cannot do better than provide liberally for Admiral 
Dewey's comfort in a home fitted to his tastes, worthy in some measure of his 
services and indicative in a small degree of the gratitude which is not of a 
day, but of all time. A popular subscription will afford all the privilege to 
join in such a testimonial, in which patriotism will have a monument. 

" The career of Admiral Dewey is a part of our national history a 
glorious chapter in the magnificent record of the recent war with Spain. Not 
in our own countr)' alone, but in all the world, his name is emblazoned with 
those that shall not die. His services all know in part, the future will add to 
appreciation of his greatness, to the solidity and brilliancy of his fame. 

" On his return from the scene of his victories and his statesmanship, the 
official duties of Admiral Dewey will be performed in Washington. He 
should have a home there. The national capital cannot fail to have attrac- 
tions for him in the present and the future. For a winter residence during 
his life he can hardly find a more desirable place. It is for a home for 
Admiral Dewey in Washington that subscriptions are invited. 

Talk of a Substantial Gift. 

" Suggestions to this general effect have been put forth in several quar- 
ters. Assurances have been conveyed to the undersigned, that the general 
enthusiasm can be directed into a single current through their agency as 
a national committee. Each of us, busy with manifold occupations, accepts 
as a duty not to be set aside the task of organizing the popular munificence 
for this purpose, and of administering the patriotic trust for a Dewey home 
fund. 

" Subscriptions may be sent at once to the Treasurer of this fund at the 
Treasury Department, Washington, D. C. Temporary receipts will be 
promptly returned, and as soon as it can be prepared a duplicate of the same 
date and number, bearing a fine portrait of Admiral Dewey, will be forwarded 
i.o every subscriber. 

" Immediate response will enable the National Committee to convey to 
Admiral Dewey as soon as lie lands practical evidence that the American 
people have provided for him a uome at the nation's capital. 



328 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

" The committee invites the newspapers of the country and the Govern- 
ors of all States to co-operate in the movement. 

" Frank A. Vanderlip, Chairman. 

** Charles H. Allen. 

" Henry C. Corbin. 

" Perry S. Heath. 

" Ellis H. Roberts, Treasurer of Fund." 

Concerning this appeal, one of our large journals contained a lengthy 
and interesting statement which the reader will be glad to peruse, and which 
is here reproduced in full. 

" The enthusiasm which attends any proposition to add fresh honors and 
rewards to those which Admiral Dewey has already received from the gov- 
ernment at Washington, is one of the most notable examples of hero worship 
in our history. No other American at his comparatively advanced age, 
unless Farragut be excepted, has leaped into such glory in a single twelve- 
month. It may be doubted whether a national greeting ever given to any 
man that has landed in this country has exceeded the one which seems likely 
to be offered to Dewey. 

The Nation's Gratitude. 

" The preparations which are beginning to be made for it indicate an 
extraordinary occasion — something like the homage of the whole nation when 
Lafayette was welcomed into and through the United States in his old age. 
More than this, there seems to be a prevailing feeling that a great purse or 
fund should be presented to the Admiral, or that when he comes home, he 
shall have the free deed to a luxurious mansion at Washington, in which he 
may live for the rest of his days in a style which Farragut and Porter never 
dreamed of 

" It is no new thing for American generosity to expend itself on public 
servants who have been poor or in need of money. For the most part, how- 
ever, the ablest and most heroic men in our military and naval service have 
been honored with swords, medals, or votes of thanks. Some of them, too, 
have been scrupulous about accepting any financial reward outside of their 
regular pay. Thus, Washington, when he came to Philadelphia to assume 
the Presidency, took special pains that he should not live in the house on 
Market Street free of rent, and insisted that he should pay for it at the rate of 
three thousand dollars a year, the same as any other tenant would have 
done. 

*' Not a few of his military associates in the Revolution received lane' 



DEWKi' CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 'S2[) 

grants and other gratuities from various States, as when the Caroh'nas and 
Georgia, for example, rewarded Greene for his Soutliern campaign. \Va)-nc 
was another beneficiary of Southern gratitude, althougli the gallant Pennsyl- 
vanian had limited faculties for business, and his life came to be sadly eml)it- 
tered by financial losses. 

" On one occasion he was moved to quote some lines from ' The Old 
Soldier' in describing his desperate frame of mind: 

" ' Once gay in life and free from anxious care, 
I through the furrows drove the shining sliare ; 
I saw my waving fields with plenty crowned, 
And yellow Ceres' joyous smile around. 
Till roused by freedom at my country's call, 
I left my peaceful home and gave up all- 
Now forced, alas ! in distant climes to tread. 
This crazy body longs to join the dead. 
Ungrateful country ! When the danger's o'er, 
Your bravest sons cold charity implore. 
Ah 1 heave for me a sympathetic sigh, 
And wipe the falling tears from sorrow's eye.' 

Jefferson Relieved from Embarrassment. 

" The truth is there are examples of eminent, honorable Americans that 
may be adduced either for or against such projects of ' popular ' tribute as 
are now on foot for Dewey. Thus Jefferson, when an old man, embarrassed 
with debt, was enabled to save Monticello and relieve his immediate distress, 
first by the sale of his library to Congress, and next by a popular subscription 
taken throughout the country for his special benefit. A ' dollar fund ' was 
begun ill this city for the old patriot, and similar funds were collected else- 
where, and it was in the midst of the efforts to provide for his debts that he 
passed away. 

" He lived long enough to know that his countrymen tendered him this 
money as a portion of their debt of gratitude to him for services which they 
could not adequately repay. It was curious, however, that a man who believed 
in the simplicity of personal independence as much as Jefferson did, should 
finally have been obliged to look to the indirect bounty of the government and 
the direct bounty of his friends. But they regarded it as the untaxed and spon- 
taneous offerings of the people's conscience or the tithe which the prosperous 
willingly yield to the makers of their prosperity. 

" Twenty years later Daniel Webster, who was time and again pursuec^ 
by his creditors, had no objection to the efforts of his friends to help him o\x 
of his financial predicaments. It was common for his political enemies tv 



3.:0 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL, 

tkscribe him as having thus put hinii^clf under obhgations which made him 
ivhat they called ' the pensioned agent of the manufacturers ' in their fights 
for protective legislation. Henry Clay's house at Ashland was rescued for 
him through similar beneficence. His I. O. U.'s were as notorious, if not also 
as numerous, as his great Whig rivals. 

" The story is related of him how on going to the bank near his home to 
pay a debt he was informed that there had been many thousands of dollars 
received from various parts of the country with orders that the money shoul(^ 
be used to pay off all of Henry Clay's notes and mortgages. The old states- 
man was uncertain at first as to what he should do. He had doubts whether 
in public propriety he could accept the gift. His friends gave him Jefferson's 
example as a precedent. They showed him how James Monroe was likewise 
harassed. They said that he had amply earned their favor by his public ser- 
vice. He consented to accept their offers, and thus the famous Ashland was 
virtually presented to him when it was about to be lost to him. 

How the Country Honored Clay. 

" It is to be observed that this token of admiration came to Clay at a 
lime when he had just been defeated in his last and greatest race for the 
Presidency in 1844, when the contributors had little to expect of him, and 
when it meant for the most part that the man whom they loved should not 
suffer for his follies and indiscretions. It was the assurance in large part of 
an honest, unselfish attachment. But Clay's enemies pointed to it as another 
evidence of ' bargain and sale.' They had called him a Sabbath breaker, a 
blasphemer, a gambler and an adulterer, and they now insisted that he had 
sold h-'mself to the financial magnates of the Whig party for fifty thousand 
dollars. 

" When George H. Stuart and his fellow Philadelphians gave General 
Grant and his family the deed of the house at 2009 Chestnut street, it was 
with the expectation V^at the general would make it his permanent place of 
residence. Grant waj; poor and accepted it without hesitation, but occupied 
the house for only a very short time. There was also some talk of making a 
similar presentation to General Meade, whose family had lived in a modest 
house on Spruce street between Fifth and Sixth. In fact, there was like talk 
of giving Sherman and Sheridan each a piece of rest estate. 

'' Patriotic sympathy was disposed, too, to regard the widow of Abraham 
Lincoln as similarly deserving of favor until Mrs. Lincoln ceased to be an 
object of popular interest by reason of her apparent indifference to the 
Aiemory of her r.»a»-tyred husband. The widows of Tyler, Polk, Grant and 
Gat field have ea^b receivea pensions 01 ^5,000 a year, I think, from Con- 



DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 331 

^Tcss. But in Richmond there was reccnll) pointed out to me a house which 
General Robert Lee declined to occupy when it was offered to him as a 
public gift for the use of himself and family. lie thought, it is said, that i^ 
anything of that kind were to be done it should be for the rank and file- the 
soldiers who, in his estimation, were quite as deserving as himself. 

"Probably the most imposing benefaction of a 'popular' nature in 
recognition of public service was the fund which was subscribed for the 
widow and fomily of James A. Garfield. Garfield had been in the Presidency 
for less than four months only when he was struck down by the assassin's 
bullet ; he had hardly been a public character of the very first rank up to the 
time he was almost accidentally pitched upon as a presidential candidate; 
and if he had died a natural death in i88i he would have left no marked 
impression upon the minds of his countrymen. But the act of assassination 
suddenly placed him for the time being on a plane with Lincoln in the public 
mind. In the generous effusion of mingled grief and sympathy which fol- 
lowed the tragedy it was not difficult to appeal to the sense of compassion 
for his family. More than $350,000 was quickly collected for their relief! 

" It was one of the most striking instances in our history of the practical 
effects of a sentimental impulse of national chivalry toward the widow and 
children of a President who really had not struck deeply into the admiration 
of his countrymen, and who, but for the circumstances of his taking off, 
would now be the least remembered of our Presidents. 

Private Reward for Public Services. 

" The house which the Chicago millionaires were going to present to 
General Miles for his services in putting down the strikes in that city, and the 
fund which some of McKinley's Protection friends provided to save him from 
bankruptcy when he was Governor of Ohio, have been interesting examples 
of private reward, either actually or ostensibly, for public service, but they 
were personal rather than general in their character. 

" As for Dewey, the patriotic exuberant idea now is that the American 
private purse ought to set up the conqueror of Manila as the English did 
the conqueror of Blenheim and the conqueror of Waterloo — nothing too 
good, nothing too big for a man whom most of his countrymen did not even 
know by name in the beginning of 1898." 

The movemei.t set on foot to provide a house for Admiral Dewey was 
well meant, as a host of his friends thought he should receive a substantial 
testimonial for the distinguished services he had rendered his country, but 
when the Admiral heard what was contemplated, with characteristic modesty 
and generosity he declined the gift and urged that any fund raised in his 



332 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

behalf should be used for the disabled soldiers and sailors of the United 
States whose gallant conduct entitled them to every consideration. As his 
salary was to be ample for all his needs he could not consent to receive gifts 
that, in his estimation, could be bestowed where they were more needed. 

In this connection we present a statement issued by our Naval Depart- 
ment at Washington showing the salaries received by our highest naval 
officers. This was made public in June, 1899. Under the new law naval 
officers receive the pay and allowances of army officers of the corresponding 
grade, the result of which is to practically increase their pay while on shore 
duty through allowances for quarters, etc. 

How Our Naval Officers are Paid. 

The following table shows the pay of officers of the line, medical and 
pay corps of the navy and officers of the marine corps : 

Sea or shore duty On 

Rank beyond sea. shore. 

Admiral $^3>5°'=> $^3,5°° 

Rear-admirals: 

First nine 7,500 6,375 

Second nine 5.'5oo 4^675 

Chiefs of bureaus and brigadier-general of marine corps . . 5)5°° 

Captains, navy 3.5°° 2,975 

Judges advocate general and colonels, mari le corps, line 

and staff 3,500 3,500 

Commanders, navy 3.000 2,550 

Lieutenant-colonels, marine corps, line and staff . . . 3,000 3,000 

Lieutenant-commanders 2,500 2,125 

Majors, marine corps, line and staff . . 2,500 2,500 

Lieutenants, navy 1,800 1,530 

Captains, marine corps: 

Line . 1,800 1,800 

Staff 2,000 2,000 

Lieutenants (junior grade), navy 1,500 1,275 

First heutenants and leader of band, marine corps . . 1,500 1,500 

Ensigns, navy 1,400 1,190 

Second lieutenants, marine corps; chief boat-swains, 3,500 3.500 

chief gunners, chief carpenters and chief sail-makers. 1,400 1,400 

All officers paid under this table below the rank of Rear Admiral or 
Brigadier-General are entitled by law to 10 per cent, upon the full yearly pay 
of their grades for each and every period of five years' service, as increase 
for length of service, or " longevity pay," computed upon their total actual 



DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 333 

service in the army, navy and marine corps ; provided, that the total amount 
of such increase shall not exceed 40 per cent, upon the full yearly pay <>( the 
grade; and, provided further, that the pay of a captain in the navy or colonel 
of marines shall not exceed ^4,500 per annum, and that of commander in the 
navy or lieutenant-colonel of marines $4,000 per annum. 

Naval officers of the line, medical and pay cor[)s, receive 15 per cent, 
less than the full pay (salary and increase) of their rank when on shore, and 
full pay when on sea duty or when detailed for shore duty beyond seas. The 
reduction of pay on shore does not apply to chief boat-swains, chief gunners, 
chief carpenters and chief sail-makers, who receive full pay on shore also. 

In any case where the application of the rates of pay provided by the 
act approved March 3, 1899, would reduce the pay which an officer was 
receiving at the time Section 13 of the said act became operative — July i, 
1899 — he shall continue to receive pay according to the previously existing 
law. 

Aids to the admiral have the pay of captain in the navy. Aids of a rear- 
admiral have $200, and of the brigadier-general commandant of marine corps, 
$150, and an acting commissary of subsistence $100 a year, respectively, in 
addition to the pay of their rank, not to be included in computing the service 

increase. 

Our Retired Officers. 

Officers of the line, medical and pay corps of the navy retired prior to 
the passage of the act approved March 3, 1899, continue to receive the same 
pay on the retired list that they received before the passage of said act. Those 
retired subsequently receive 75 per cent, of pay (salary and increase) of their 
rank. 

The monthly commutation allowance for quarters of the admiral of the 
navy is fixed by the law at $125. All other commissioned officers of the 
line and of the medical and pay corps of the navy, and all officers of the 
marine corps receive the same allowances, except forage to naval officers, as 
are or may be provided by or in pursuance of law for the officers of corres- 
ponding rank in the army. When quarters in kind are not supplied commu- 
tation is allowed therefor at the rate of $12 per month per room. 

According to the new schedule, Admiral Dewey will receive pay at the' 
rate of $13,500 per year, regardless of whether he is ashore or afloat. While 
on shore duty he will receive in addition, a monthly commutation allowance 
for quarters of $125, bringing his total annual pay to $15,000. Rear-Admira! 
W. S. Schley, as one of the nine senior rear-admirals, will receive $7,500 a 
year while at sea or on foreign service, and $6,375 while on shore dut}'. In 
addition he will receive an allowance for quarters when on shore duty amount- 



334 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

ing to $y2 a month, thereby making his annual shore pay ^7,239. Each of 
the nine junior rear-admirals, the senior of whom is Rear-Admiral W. H. 
Sampson, will be paid ^5,500 at sea and $4,675 on shore. On shore duty he 
will also receive $60 a month for quarters, making his total shore pay ;^5,395 
a year. Brigadier-General Heywood, commandant of the marine corps, will 
receive ^5,500 a year and the allowance of a brigadier-general in the army. 

Among the many honors showered on Admiral Dewey is a diamond 
sword, the gift of the nation, which is here fully described by Tiffany & Co.. 
the makers. 

The design for the sword is the work of Mr. Paulding Farnham, the 
chief designer and manager of Tiffany & Co.'s diamond-jewelry manufactur- 
ing department. Mr. Farnham is also a member of a number of art societies 
in New York and Boston, including the National Sculpture Society, where 
his exhibits of models have elicited much favorable comment. 

Description of Dewey's Sword. 

The sword, with the exception of the steel blade and the body metal of 
the scabbard, is made entirely of 22-karat gold. On the pommel is carved 
the name of the battleship, " Olympia," and the zodiacal sign for December, 
the month of Admiral Dewey's birth. Circling these, there is a closely-woven 
wreath of oak leaves, the standard decoration for rank. Continuing down, 
the metal work giving the proper form, is a gold collar, on the front of which 
are the arms of the United States with the blue field of the shield in enamel, 
and below them are the arms of Vermont, the Admiral's native State, with the 
motto, " Freedom and Unity," and the colors of the shield in enamel. Stars 
serve to decorate the plain part of the collar, and a graceful finish is given to 
this part of the hilt by a narrow band of oak leaves. The grip is covered 
with fine sharkskin bound with gold wire and inlaid with gold stars. 

The guard is composed of a conventional eagle, terminating in a claw 
clasping the top, indicating " control and confidency ; " the outspread wings 
form the guard proper. The expression of the eagle is one of cool determina- 
tion, and, while firm, still bearing a message of peace in the laurel-wreath 
held in the beak. The wreath serves as a protection, covering the point of 
the beak, and at the same time preserves the proper outlines of the guard. 

The scabbard is of thin steel, damascened in gold with sprays of ros^ 
marinus, a delicate sea plant, signifying fidelity, Constance, and remembrance 
The sprays are interlaced in the form of a series of cartouches, with a star iu 
the centre of each, while dolphins fill the outer spaces. Sprays of oak leaves 
and acorns secure the rings and trappings of the scabbard ; above these, on 
the front of the scabbard, is a raised monogram in brilliants (diamonds), 



DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 3.35 

entwining the letters " G. D," and immediately under them are the letter! 
** U. S. N.," surrounded by sprays of ros marinus. The ferrule or lower end 
of the scabbard terminates in entwined gold dolphins. 
The sword-blade is damascened with the incription : 

THE GIFT OF THE NATION 

TO REAR-ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY, U. S. N., 

IN MEMORY OF THE 

VICTORY AT MANILA BAY, 

MAY 1ST, 1898. 

The letters are of an ornamental character, and sufificiently large to be 
dignified. The Phoenician galley, representing the first craft of the navies of 
the world, supplies the rest of the ornament on this side of the blade. On 
the other side of the blade is shown the flight of the eagles of victory, bear- 
ing festoons of laurel to the four quarters of the earth. 

The mounting of the belt and the trappings are regulation buckles, 
pierced slide rings and swivels, all of 22-karat gold, and ornamented with the 
oak leaves and acorns. The bullion tassel and embroidered belting was 
specially made, and much superior to that usually employed. 

The Nation's Gift through Congress. 

The Sword of Honor to be presented to Rear-Admiral Dewey was 
authorized by the joint resolution of Congress, approved June 3, 1898, and, 
in response to the publication of the resolution, a great many designs were 
submitted from all over the country ; in fact, some came from abroad. The 
committee consisted of Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Charles H. Allen ; 
United States Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts, who introduced 
the joint resolution ; and Professor Marshal Oliver, of the United States Naval 
Academy, Annapolis, Md. The vote was taken by mail, the designs submitted 
being sent by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to the other members of 
the committee as rapidly as they were received at the Navy Department, and 
the vote was unanimous for the Tiffany design. 

The admiral was also the recipient of an elegant piece of bronze work. 
'It was selected by J. Ackerman Coles, A. B., I^L D.. o( New Jersey, for 
presentation to the Hero of ALmila. The bronze symbolizes the two nations 
in characteristic representation. 

The American nation is emblemized by an eagle of majestic bearing. 
With overshadowing wings, watching and ready for immediate action, it rests 
upon the craggy summit of a rock, which bears on its face the inscription, 
" Commander George Dewey, U. S. N. The Olympia, the Baltimore, the 



^36 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

Raleigh, the Boston, the Concord, the Petrel, the INIcCulloch." Stretched 
over a mass of other insulated rocks in front and at the foot of the crag lies 
the quarry, a dead heron, symbolizing Spain and the present condition of her 
power over the Philippine Islands, the twelve feathers in the tail of the bird 
tallying with the number of vessels constituting the Spanish fleet, including 
the water battery, destroyed or completely disabled in the harbor of Manila, 
May 1st, 2d, 3d and 4th. 

The allegorical group is of bronze, and is the work of the eminent French 
Liculptor and artist, Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875), a contemporary of the 
immortal Lafayette. He was an officer of the Legion of Honor, was a mem- 
ber of the Academy of Fine Arts, etc., etc. His allegorical statues and fig- 
ures in the Museum of the Louvre, Paris, and in the Corcoran Gallery, Wash- 
ington, D. C, attest the accuracy of his anatomical knowledge and his intimate 
acquaintance with the habits of animals and birds. In the execution of this 
characteristic group, Barye seems to have worked with prophetic foreknowl- 
edge to memorialize in bronze an Olympian victory unparalleled in history. 

The eagle recalls the masterpiece of Phidias in the temple of Jupiter at 
Olympia and the Olympian games of ancient Greece; for the Jove-bird, proud 
of its ancestral history, is supposed to have flown direct from the sacred olive 
grove near the temple on the Plain of Elis to where it could keep guard over 
and crown as victors the heroes of the Olympia and her sister-ships while 
afloat on the treacherous waters of the Heron. 

Of all birds, says Pliny, the eagle is the most noble. Caius Marius 
assigned the eagle exclusively to the Roman legions. The heron, on the con- 
trary, is reputed ignoble and cruel, using its dagger-like bill upon friend and 
foe to torture rather than to slay. Accordmg to the English naturalist J. G. 
Wood, a tame heron, upon being placed in an aviary with five owls, totally 
blinded four and destroyed one eye of the fifth. 

" The great heart of our nation," says President McKinley, "throbs, not 
with boasting or greed of conquest, but with deep gratitude that this triumph 
has come in a just cause, and that, by the grace of God, an effectual step has 
thus been taken toward the attainment of the wished-for peace." 

Among the many poetical effusions called out by Dewey's fame tlie fol- 
lowing is worthy of special notice : 

Dewey were His Name. 

He come an' raised his flag aboard the ship, 
An' mentioned how that Dewey were his name. 

He didn't have no great amount o' lip, 

But what he said he meant it, jist the same. 



DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 337 

He put us thro' maneuvers short an' long, 

An* kep* us at sub-caliber, betwecns, 
Until we come to anchor at Hong Kong, 

An' got our orders for the Philippines, 

Then this 'ere Dewey struck a pow'ful gait, 

An' mentioned how that somethin' had ter drop; 
He kep' the colliers workin' soon an' late, 

An' every blessed Jackie on the hop ; 
An' w'en 'e got 'is bunkers chock-a-block, 

W'y, then he up an' filled his magazines, 
An' tol' 'em w'en they asked him wot's o'clock, 

" A little game of Spanish Philippines ! " 

So on we went a-creepin' thro' the night, 

Not knowin' whereabout that we was at; 
With every barker stripped in trim for fight, 

And every blessed Jackie standin' pat. 
An' w'en the mornin' broke, w'y, there we lay, 

Ivined up, each crew a-standin' to its gun, 
Right in the middle o' Manila Bay — 

Old Glory gleaming pretty in the sun. 

There weren't no time ter talk about it then. 

For Spain cut loose her iron in a shower, 
An' powder monkeys turned to fightin' men. 

An' fightin' men to devils in an hour. 
'Twere just one awful crashin', tearin' roar, 

That seemed like it were bustin' o' yer brain. 
Along with shrieks of Yankee shells that bore 

A message labelled : " Don't forget the Maine! '* 

Lor' bless us, but it were a proper sight, 

Them ships an' forts a-spittin' shot and shell. 
An' Dewey, lookin' j)leasant and perlite, 

Requestin' from the bridge to " give 'em hell." 
An' w'en we gits the order to retire. 

An' waits until the smudge has blowed away, 
Their ships as wasn't sinkin* was afire. 

An' Uncle Sam were master of the bay. 

So, mates, these words is all I've got to say, 

I says 'em, an' I means 'em, every one; 
They ain't no other man alive to-day, 

Would tried to do wot Dewey tried and done; 



«2-D 



338 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

We knows it, us as sweat behind his guns ; 

They knows it, them as writes the scroll of fame, 
An' w'en they tells o' heroes to our sons, 

W'y, mates, they'll head the list with Dewey's name. 

— Manila Thues. 

General Merritt's personal impressions of Dewey are embodied in the 
following from a letter written shortly after the general's return from the 
Philippines : 

" My first glimpse of Admiral Dewey was caught when, toward the close 
of last July, I reached Manila. He came to meet me in his launch as soon as 
we entered the bay and took me aboard the Olympia, where we had a very 
pleasant lunch while making acquaintance. I found him a very genial, like- 
able man, quiet, modest, shrewd, observant, alert and tactful. He had com- 
pletely won the hearts of the foreigners at Manila. 

" I entered Manila Bay at the same time in the morning as Dewey had 
entered it, and as I saw the channel lying in the first gleams of the morning sun, I 
could well appreciate the superlative boldness of the dash which he made over 
a channel which was supposed to have been mined, and ought to have been 
mined, to attack a fleet which, on paper at least, was as strong as his own, and 
which lay under the guns of strong forts. The thing was unprecedented, 
and I felt that the admiral deserves all the honor that the people are 
disposed to give him. 

Trouble Looming on the Horizon. 

" One of the first things Admiral Dewey said to me was : 

" ' I have been walking the deck worrying night after night. You can do 
that now.' 

" He told me that the Germans had behaved very nastily, and that Aguin- 
aldo was beginning to show the cloven hoof. The coming of the troops was 
a great relief to his mind. 

"When I left the islands on the twenty-ninth of August last, Admiral 
Dewey was in good health, as he was all the time I was there. He was quite 
hearty, and there was no sign of the breaking down which was rumored in 
this country. He told me that he wanted to stay. I wouldn't like to say that 
he was afraid of being lionized, but he is a modest man. He is the man for 
the place, and his staying is certainly a good thing for the nation." 

Among the volunteer officers of the United States Army in the Philip- 
pines, was a captain in a California regiment, whose mustache was phenomena' 
in its bushiness. It spread over his features from his eyes to his lower jaw5i 
and reached back to his ears. While ashore one day the admiral saw thi'o 



DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 339 

captain at short range, and his keen gray eyes shone with unusual brilliancy 
as he turned to a brother officer and quietly remarked: 

" It isn't fair to fight the Spaniards with that officer." 

" Why do you say that, admiral ? " 

" He's in ambush all the time," was the reply, and the admiral's joke had 
circulated throughout the whole fleet before night. 

Soon after Major-General IMerritt arrived at Manila he began to expe- 
rience trouble with the insurgents, Aguinaldo was not disposed to pay much 
heed to the general's orders, and the general complicated matters more or less 
by endeavoring to avoid any clashing of the American with the insurgent 
forces. The situation was becoming somewhat strained, when General Merritt 
sought a conference with Admiral Dewey on the Olympia. The general and 
the admiral discussed the situation at great length, the former giving special 
attention to the question of jurisdiction in the Philippines. At last General 
IMerritt put this question to the admiral : 

"Admiral, how far, in your opinion, does your jurisdiction extend on the 
island ? " 

Admiral Dewey took two short turns on the quarter-deck before answer- 
ing. Then he said : 

"General, my jurisdiction extends from as close to shore as I can move 
these flat irons," pointing to the American fleet, ''to as far into the island as I 
can throw a shell." 

Bronze Medals for the Heroes of Manila. 

As a further expression of our country's appreciation of the gallant 
exploits of Dewey's squadron Congress ordered i,6oo bronze medals for pre- 
sentation to the officers and men. 

The resolution authorizing the medals was offered by United States Sen- 
ator Henry Cabot Lodge, Massachusetts, and was agreed to without debate. 
It read as follows : 

" That the secretary of the navy be and he is hereby authorized to present 
a sword of honor to Commodore Dewey and to cause to be struck bronze 
medals commemorating the battle of Manila Bay, and to distribute such 
medals to the officers and men of the ships of the Asiatic squadron, under 
command of Commodore George Dewey, on May i, 1898, and that to enable 
the secretary to carry out this resolution the sum of $10,000 is hereby appro- 
priated." 

The medal was designed and modelled by Daniel C. French, the well- 
known New York sculptor. Tiffany & Co. cut the dies and made the 
niedals. The feature of the obverse is a fine profile head of Commodore 



340 DEWEY CREATED AN ADMIRAL. 

Dewey, showing also the epaulets and part of his coat in naval dress. Sur- 
rounding the head, in clear, distinct raised lettering appears the following 
legend : 

THE GIFT OF THE PEOPLE OF THE 

UNITED STATES TO THE 

OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE ASIATIC SQUADRON, 

UNDER THE 

COMMAND OF COMMODORE GEORGE DEWEY. 

Immediately under the inscription, at the right, is an anchor in a wreath 
of laurel, and a star, indicative of the rank of commodore. The name of the 
sculptor is at the left just below the epaulet. On the reverse side of the 
medal is a figure of an American sailor, " the man behind the gun," symbol- 
izing victory, seated on a cannon and holding a flag across the lap. Around 
the border forming a frame to the figure, are the words : 

IN MEMORY OF MANILA BAY, MAY I, 1 898, 

and beneath it, on a tablet, appears the name of the ship to which the 
recipient was attached. The medal to be presented to Admiral Dewey will 
bear the name of his flagship, U. S. S. Olympia. The recipient's name is 
engraved around the edge of the medal. 

The medal is suspended from a bar, the decorations of which consist of 
an eagle with outstretched wings, an American shield, laurel wreath of vic- 
tory, and sword of Justice, effectively grouped, with the waves of the sea for a 
background. The silk ribbon at the base of the medal consists of three 
stripes, two navy blue with the Spanish yellow in the centre, signifying that 
the yellow has been vanquished by the blue. Each medal is fitted in a hand- 
some leather case, covered with fine (Spanish color) leather. 




CHAPTER XXI. 
Heroes of the Battlefield. 

[EFERENCE has been made in a preceding c\uptcr to the daring 
exploits of Colonel Funston in the campaign against the Filipino 
insurgents. The reader will be eager to obtain some account of the 
man whose brave deeds thrilled his countrymen with admiration, 
and gained for him promotion to the rank of brigadier-general. 

Fancy a little man, with a slight limp, a little man who weighs less than 
one hundred pounds, and is under five feet four, a little man with a Van Dyke 
beard and a sense of humor that bubbles in him like the effervescence of wine, 
and you have the exterior picture of Colonel Funston, of the Twelfth Kansas, 
the man who glorified the army in his famous charge at Malolos, and who 
was a credit to the navy by his swimming feats before Calumpit. 

Fancy a man who hates shams, who jeers at pomp and circumstance, who 
loves to sit in his shirt sleeves in the wilderness reading Kipling, who is im- 
pulsive, generous and always kind, who avoids the forms, functions and 
punctilities of this world as he would shun a pestilence, fancy a merry heart 
that takes nothing seriously save the good-will of a friend and the honor of 
his country, fancy Cyrano de Bergcrac minus his bluster and the Gadfly with- 
out his sting, rolled into one body thirty-three years old and given a wander 
ing foot that has taken him from the Arctic Ocean to the tropics finding 
adventure, and you have a picture of the happy, courageous, knightly soul of 
the little Kansas colonel who won fame by deeds of thrilling bravery in the 
far-away Philippines. 

Fred Funston went from the farm on Deer Creek, Allen County, Kansas, 
to the State University of Kansas in the year 18S5. He remained in the uni- 
versity ofTand on for five years. He was a round faced fellow, full of fun and 
of the type that instructors yearn to punish, for the levity that he bred in 
the class room. If Funston ever got a grade above eighty-five in any study 
the instructor who gave that grade will have to answer for a great crime ; for 
his sin of silence has established for Funston a record of unbroken scholastic 
mediocrity that has been rarely equalled in that jurisdiction. He was a 
member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity — the fraternity which ex-President 
Benjamin Harrison helped to establish in old Miami University half a century 
ago, and vvhich counted among its members Eugene Field, ex-Vice-Presiden; 

341 



342 HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELD. 

Stevenson, and Senator Blackburn — and Stephen Crane, of these latter days. 
Funston gave more attention to his fraternity than he did to his books, and it 
is a matter of fraternity record that he broke four chairs learning to waltz with 
them. 

On festal occasions Funston grew solemn and melancholy, and felt called 
upon to go forth without hilarity and ribaldry, but in terrible earnest, and tear 
up the board sidewalks of the town of Lawrence, because he deemed their 
presence dangerous to the public welfare. Because he was small of stature 
he mocked athletics into disfavor while he was in school ; he was the maker 
of nicknames, the dictionary of mirth. Years have elapsed since he called 
the Greek professor " Zeus," and the auburn hair of the professor whom Fun- 
ston called "Old Sunset" has turned gray; "Purple Whiskers" have lost 
their lustre, but the names still stick, and afford comfort and solace to those 
unfortunate students who flunk in the departments where these dignitaries 
reign. 

Perhaps the shudder of horror that ran through the faculty at the men- 
tion of Funston's name years and years after he had left school has somewhat 
subsided, but it is likely that the faculty of the University of Kansas can come 
more nearly knowing how Aguinaldo feels than all the Anti-imperialistic 
Leagues in this broad and patriotic land. 

Always a Great Reader. 

Funston spent much of his tmie in the university library, reading what- 
ever his hands could find, of the fiction of war and the poetry of romance. 
Early in life he had the prairie boy's knowledge of every sort and condition of 
fire-arm in the hardware store. He had a Yankee knack for screws and bolts 
and nuts, and could tinker. This knowledge is as much a part of every far- 
mer boy's education as the knowledge of the points of the compass. The 
farm is a manual training school ; it also teaches individual initiative, and 
many of the recent military exploits of Funston before Caloocan and Malolos 
and Calumpit are merely out-croppings of the farmer boy's training to 
go ahead, and not go clear across the field and back to the house for 
orders. 

During his off years — the years when he earned money to attend the 
university the next year — he turned his talents to various and profitable 
account, and he accumulated the capital of experience which he afterward 
invested in glory. For instance, in 1888, an off school year, he became a 
Santa Fe train collector. At different times his route lay all the way from 
Kansas City to Albuquerque, and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Among his 
j>ther duties was that of " train bouncer." He weighed little more than one 



HEROES OF THE BATTLEFni:LD. 343 

hundred pounds then, but that didn't stand in the way of his success as a 
houncer. The record of his grit is still in the clogged Supreme Court of 
Kansas, where damage suits against the Santa Fc are " awaiting the judg- 
ment day." 

After a peaceful year in the university Funston longed for something less 
monotonous than encounters with cowboys, and sought to satisfy the lust in 
his soul for excitement by going into the newspaper business. 

He had never been in a city newspaper office, when, by the force of sheer 
audacity, he asked a Kansas City city editor for a place and got a probational 
job. Luck brought him a beat on which the first day convinced the city 
editor that Funston was a phenominal reporter. When a letter came from a 
man in Fort Smith to the newspaper office asking for the city editor to send 
him a first-class man to take care of a country daily, Funston went. He didn't 
know any more about a country daily than he knew about the climate of Mars, 
but he tackled it. 

Found It CoQvenient to Leave. 

When the United States District Court met at Fort Smith, Funston 
started in to take sides in a murder case, and Judge Parker, the famous hang- 
in^ judee. who has sentenced over a hundred murderers to death, called Fun- 
ston into his study one evening, ostensibly to talk about the case in question^ 
The judge opened the conversation by telling Mr. Funston in confidence that 
journalism wasn't his profession, and closed the incident by intimating that 
the climate of Arkansas was very, very unhealthy at that particular season. 
Not desiring to go to jail for contempt, Funston got out of town on a night 
train, and the owner of the paper found a new man the next morning. 

But Funston had enough money saved up to go to school another year, 
and so went back to the university. At the end of the year he took the civil- 
service examination, and got a place in the Agricultural Department at Wash- 
ington, and was sent to Montana and the Dakotas making a botanical collec- 
tion of grasses. After that he joined the Government expedition that made 
the first official survey of Death Valley, the famous California death-trap. 

The rigors of this undertaking may be inferred from the fact that Fun- 
ston, the youngest member of the expedition, is the only one alive and sane 
to-day. After the work in Death Valley was completed, Funston made one 
jf the party of five that effected the first " back-door " entrance into Yosemite. 
Valley down the sheer sides of the mountains. In the winter of 1 891-2 his. 
man's work began when the Government sent him to Alaska to make a botani- 
cal survey of certain parts of the coast. Later, in 1893, he returned to Alaska 
to make a botanical survey of the Yukon River. 



344 HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELD. 

Now, the trail over Chilicoot Pass is as familiar as the walk ^along 
Broadway. But in 1893 the Pass was known only to Indian guides, and its 
devious ways had been found only by the feet of a few daring miners and 
fugitives from society. Then it was that Funston and two miners went up 
the Pass and over to the Yukon. The Indian guides struck one day, and 
Funston tells about it in one of his letters : 

" The Indians carried the loads, while we dragged the empty sleds and 
did the swearing. The snow fell incessantly for five days, and it lay along 
our route from five to fifty feet deep. It was day after day of wallowing and 
struggling through snow as we worked our way gradually upward to the 
summit of the range. One cheerful little diversion occurred on the second 
day. The low-browed ex-cannibal, who was chief packer, and seemed to 
have charge of the other Indians-, threw his load into the snow, and announced 
that, unless their pay was materially increased, he and the other packers 
would get themselves back to the village, and thus leave us in a pretty pickle. 

" My temper had been at white heat all day, and without thinking what 
might be the consequences of such a move, like a fool, I shoved the muzzle 
of a cocked Winchester into the face of the Advisory Committee of that 
strike, and the way that the Most Serene Grand Master of the Amalgamated 
Order of Chilcoot Salmon Biters re-shouldered his sack of beans and tugged 
along through the broad expanse of rhe beautiful snow shows that it is some- 
times a good thing for every well-regulated family to have a gun in the 

house." 

In the Alaska Gold Fields. 

He went down the Yukon to the mouth of the Porcupine River, where 
he left the miners, and went up the Porcupine to Rampart House, an aban- 
doned Hudson Bay company's trading post situated far to the north of the 
Arctic circle, where the Porcupine River crosses the eastern boundary of 
Alaska. Here Funston and a missionary named Pratty spent the winter. 

When the Imdians brought rumors that a North American whaling fleet 
was being crushed to pieces in the ice off the Arctic Ocean some two hun- 
dred miles to the northward, Funston beguiled an old Indian into starting on 
the journey to the ocean with him on snow shoes. It was two hundred miles 
as the crow flies, but Funston and the Indian got lost and went four hundred 
miles out of their way. After running out of food and starving for two days, 
P^unston and the Indian picked the dog in the pack train that would make the 
best pot-pie. But in the afternoon of that day they came upon a band of 
Indian hunters carrying fresh caribou to the fleet. 

When Funston came up to the ships with the Indians he found the sVory 
of the destruction of the fleet a fiction. A great crowd of the men from th(- 



HEROES OF THE liATTLEFIELD. 346 

fleet was watching a ball game on the ice, and when Fiinston, in his Esquimo 
dress, spoke to a captain of one of the whalers in English there was a whal- 
inrr captain who refused to believe his eyes and his ears, and F'unston was 
obliged to show his government commission. 

Then that captain took Funston to his cabin, and called another captain, 
and they learned two-year-old news until they were glutted. Here the tempter 
whispered something to the first captain and he whispered it to the second 
captain, and together they persuaded Funston to allow them to fill the flowing 
bowl until it ran over several consecutive times. And subsequent proceedings 
interested Mr. Funston no more for several hours thereafter. Whereupon the 
tempter and the two captains went out and set about their devices. What they 
did and what they told made Funston's coming to that fleet a greater sensa- 
tion than anything he will ever do in the Philippines. 

For the tempter spoke these things through the mouths of the captains to 
men who had been away from home for three long years. England and 
Russia have united and declared war against the United States. New York 
City is captured ; San Francisco is being bombarded ; Russian troops are 
coming through Siberia to Alaska, and down through British America to 
Chicago ; the owners of the North American whaling fleet have paid this 
white man ten thousand dollars to bring this word : " Go north as soon as the 
ice breaks ; push north ; stay north, as far north as the ice will permit, for 
two years or until peace has been declared. Also avoid communicating with 
other ships." 

Journey of Nine Hundred Miles. 

What is the little matter of swimming a tropical torrent under fire as 
compared with bringing news like this, and being sound asleep and locked in 
a captain's cabin when it strikes three hundred homesick Yankees who want 
to go home and fight? Funston will never again in his life make the sensa- 
tion he made in the Arctic Ocean. Nor will the tempter and two captains ever 
have so much fun over him. When he returned to Rampart House he had 
made a journey of 900 miles in the dark night of Arctic winter. Peary's 
famous journey was made in an Arctic summer, and it was not so long as 
F^unston's, either. 

When summer dawned Funston took up his kit and left Rampart House 
and, with two Indians, came down the Porcupine to the Yukon. There Fun- 
ston left the Indians and, alone in an open boat, drifted down the length of 
the Yukon to its mouth, making a botanical survey of the countr)'. The 
pressed flora that he gathered are now in the Agricultural Department af 
Washington. And his report is a matter of record. He was picked up b> 



346 HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELD. 

yie revenue cutter Bear and came home in the fall of '94. It was a hard trip. 
But Funston thought nothing of it and was too busy to go to New York and 
get fame. 

When he got back to civilization Funston tried to establish a coffee plan- 
tation in Central America, and lived down under the equator for a few months. 
Later he drifted into New York, and was made assistant auditor of the Santa 
7e Railroad when it was being reorganized. But the task of signing his name 
;o bonds eight hours a day grew irksome, and Funston felt what he thought 
ivas his life call to duty, and in August, 1896, he packed his kit and went with 
X filibustering party on the Dauntless to Cuba. He entered the Cuban army 
under Garcia. He was with Osgood when he fell, and Funston was appointed 
to Osgood's place and rank and made commandant of Cuban artillery. 

Story of a Dynamite Gun. 

Now Funston didn't know anything about artillery when he began, but 
he kept his ignorance to himself. He looked over the guns as a farm boy 
looks over a cultivator, and pulled them apart, and put them together again 
and then went out to fight. Then they brought him a dynamite gun — the first 
one that had ever been used in actual warfare. This is his story of it : 

" Well, I looked her over and prodded around her for a day or two till I 
found from the printed directions that came with her which end was the shoot- 
ing end. I didn't let the Cubans know that I was scared, but I was ; we got 
into a little mix-up one day and the old man sent for the dynamite. I waltzed 
her out, kept the directions in my head as well as I could and loaded her up. 
When the order came I sighted her and let her go. For a second she seemed 
to wheeze; it's all up I thought; the Cubans ran; but I didn't dare to; it was 
only a second and then she coughed and the air in the Spanish fort was filled 
with misfit logs and debris, and I knew it was all right. I turned around and 
grinned like the cat that had swallowed the canary, and no one knew that I 
had just finished making four or five kinds of a fool of myself After they 
had set *em up in the other alley we rolled 'em again." 

Funston was wounded three times in Cuba, once through an arm, once 
through the lungs, and once his horse fell upon him, fracturing his thigh. 
From this wound he was lame when he left Kansas with the Twentieth last 
year. He came home from Cuba on sick leave; he had an order from Gar- 
cia to the President of the Cuban republic for his parole, but he was captured 
by the Spaniards while making his way across country to get the order honored 

His quick wit and good nerve saved him. While he was explaining to 
his Spanish captors that he was coming in to surrender he seemed to be mop- 
ping his face wHh his handkerchief, but really was slipping the order for the 



HEROES OF THE BATTLEiaELD. 347 

•arole from the handkerchief into his mouth. The Spaniards did not discover 
the trick. Funston stuck to his story of surrender and the court-martial 
released him. General Fitzhugh Lee fitted him out with his passage money 
and a suit of clothes, and Funston struck New York in the winter of 1897- 
'98, racked with fever, broken in body, and discouraged in mind. 

This is briefly the Funston that they knew out West, when the war broke 
out. And this is why it was good politics for Governor Leedy to make Fun- 
ston a colonel. He did not apply for the place, and did not accept it at once. 
He feared that he did not have military training — though he had experience — 
enough to do the work. But when he took his regiment into camp, he took 
up the gentle art of soldiering, and learned its theory as well as one can in 
the few months during which the Kansas boys were kept in the United States 
In the dull time, he met a pretty California girl— Eda Blankert — and at the 
end of a six weeks' acquaintance married her. His wedding trip was a short 
one, and a few hours later he sailed away with his regiment. 

A month later his wife followed him on a Hong Kong steamer, and the 
interrupted honeymoon began in the Philippines, just before the battle. 
The Kansas boys who wrote home said that Funston slept and ate with them 
on the firing line, that he was not in his tent after the outbreak began in 
February. He was their idol. His lame leg did not keep him from limping 
ahead of them when they charged. He was with them when they charged 
into Caloocan. He was the first white soldier to enter Malolos. He was the 
first American officer to cross the river at Calumpit. 

Always Known to be a Hero. 

The people of the Missouri Valley knew that he was a hero before the 
world found it out. And it will be a happy day when the young man comes 
home with stars on his shoulders — back to Grisby's Station, where he " used 
to be so happy and so poor" — and if the stars are not on his shoulders the 
laurels will be on his brow, and Kansas, although a Prohibition State, will have 
a celebration — when Johnny comes marching home. 

William A. DeFord, an attorney of Kansas City, and formerly a promi- 
nent politician of eastern Kansas, furnishes a sketch of General Funston, the 
Kansas fighter, whose name has been written high on the scroll of fame, and 
who is apotheosized by the hero-worshiping Americans. 

Mr. DeFord was the first commissioned officer appointed in Kansas at 
the out-break of the Spanish-American war. He was made an adjutant and 
recruited the entire Twentieth Kansas Regiment. He was with the soldiers 
from the day they enlisted to the close of the Spanish-American war, when he 
resigned his commission. 



348 HEROES OF THE BATTI EFIELD. 

He accompanied the men on the trying trip across the continent to Sarv 
Francisco. Here they arrived in ragged and torn garments, poorly armed, 
and many walking on their bare feet. Here they were drilled, trained and 
disciplined until they became the famous Twentieth, the invincibles, a regiment 
which has had few equals in history. During his stay in San Francisco, Mr. 
DeFord was given ample opportunity of becoming well acquainted with Fun- 
ston. He gives the following interesting sketch : 

" Fred Funston, physically, cannot qualify for the deification which the 
Kansas people, by the voice of the press, seem ready to accord him. He is 
short and slight. His face is tanned with the sun of Cuba and the winds of 
the Yukon. His beard is a close, scraggy brown, which he wears in the 
fashion of the imperial. The face, usually mild and pleasing in its expression, 
reflects the vagaries of his feeling. It is a thunder-cloud in his passion of 
rage. The courage of the man finds its indicia in his chin and jaw. 

" The thing that ' appeals ' about Funston is his human quality. His 
'honor' did not rid him of his boyish slang. The dignity of the eagles did 
not take from him the prerogative of his fine, old-fashioned anger-purging 
profanity. He believes, I think, in the virtue of that vice, a? many another 
man has. This human quality was, in the first days, seen the most often in 
his frank boyishness. When the colonel of the Twentieth was lost in the 
' Mike ' of his college friends, then it was that he would have his joke, 
' cut up ' and have any old kind of a good time, never forgetting to see to it 
that his eagles, as the Latin book says, ' took nothing of detriment.' 

Bold and Dashing Oflacer. 

"Funston is a scrapper. The fight is his atmosphere. He is not the 
man to plan battles — to outline campaigns. He is pre-eminently the execu- 
tive scrapper — the one to fight. He can fight with words, with his pen, with 
his fists, and, as the world knows, with his sword. I think that if, in Kansas, 
they get him into the political fighting for place, they will find him still a 
scrapper, prone to knock down fancy block houses and demolish fine-spun 
schemes, and, woj-st of all, not the man to be used, but to use. The office 
patriots will find the folly that was theirs, if they hope to climb into official 
honor or political power over him, if he wants that honor or that power for 
himself 

" The only 'big ' thing about Funston is his courage. His mental capa- 
city is not far above the range of the average. He is, in the main, honest and 
sincere. When he knows that he has been unjust, he will do what he can to 
right a wrong that he has done. Never before has his measure been taker 
for civic honor. I am inclined to doubt .lat he will permit it to be takeh 



HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELD. 



349 



now. He will know, perhaps, of the selfishness of the politicians who are 
now frothing with his praise. He will know that their praise has, in a meas- 
ure, been forced by his popularity at home." 

General Funston was fortunate in not losing his life, although with reck- 
less daring he led his men into the most exposed positions. We have now 
to tell the story of a hero who, not less brave, was shot down in battle, and 
will hereafter be honored as one of our noblest patriots. 

David Stewart Elliott, captain of Company G, Twentieth Kansas Regi- 
ment, ^U. S. v., met death at 
Caloocan, north of Manila, in 
the Philippine Islands. He was 
shot down by a Filipino sharp- 
shooter and lived only a short 
time after receiving the wound. 

Company G, with the re- 
mainder of the Twentieth Kan- 
sas, left Topeka, May i6, 1898, 
for San Francisco. After the 
refriment had been at San Fran- 
Cisco for awhile, it was decided 
that more men would be needed 
and consequently Captain Elliott 
and another officer were sent 
back to Kansas for recruits. 
Captain Elliott reached Coffcy- 
ville June 1 1, and spent Sunday 
with his family — his last Sabbath 
at home. He little thought, as 
he stood on the depot platform 
bidding his loved ones farewell, 
that he would never return, but if the thought had been in mind, he would 
never have flinched. To him, love of country and loyalty to the flag 
were potent and moving impulses, and in the presence of them, he was 
inspired. 

In the history of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, published in 1 884, the 
following sketch of Captain Elliott is found: 

" David Stewart Elliott was born near the Chalybeate Springs, in Bed- 
ford township, on December 23, 1843. His early educational opportunities 
were limited, being confined to a short attendance in the common schools ; 
but a love of learning led to valiant and earnest efforts to overcome this 




CAPTAIN DAVID STEWART ELLIOTT, 

Of the acth Kansas U. S. V., who was killed at 

the Rattle of Caloocan. 



350 HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELD. 

deficiency by self-culture. At the age of 13 the subject of this biograph)! 
entered a store in Bedford as errand boy; but in less than a year his employer 
closed his business and young Elliott returned to farming, his former occupa- 
tion. 

"In September, 1858, he entered the office of the Bedford Gazette to 
learn the printer's trade. Here he remained until April, 1861, when he 
enlisted for a term of three months in Capt. John H. Filler's Company G, of 
the Thirteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers. At the expiration of his 
term of enlistment he re-enlisted for three years in Company E, Seventy-sixth 
Pennsylvania volunteers, in which he served until near the close of the war. 

" After his discharge from the service Mr. Elliott accepted a position as 
compositor on the Bedford Inqidrer, and during evenings and spare time 
applied himself closely to general reading and the study of the law. In Sep- 
tember, 1 868, he became part owner of the Bedford County Press, removed to 
Everett, and assumed editorial charge of the paper. February 9, 1869, he 
was admitted to the bar of Bedford County. He continued as editor of the 
Press until 1873, when he resigned this position and devoted his time wholly 
to law business, soon establishing a large practice. 

A Popular Editor. 

"On January i, 188 1, at the urgent request of the owners of the paper, he 
became the editor and chief manager of the Everett Press, which then changed 
its name from the Bedford County Press to the Everett Press. The paper, 
under his able management, proved prosperous and popular, and had an 
important influence in advancing the interests of the thriving town of Everett. 

" He takes a deep interest in local affairs, particularly in schools, and is 
constantly called upon to accept positions of trust and responsibility. As a 
public speaker, editor and lawyer he has won a well-deserved and honorable 
reputation, while as a citizen his influence is felt in every work that tends to 
advance the best interests of the community." 

Captain Elliott removed to Kansas in 1885, became a prominent and 
highly respected citizen of Cofleyville, held several public positions, and was 
engaged in the practice of law when the Spanish-American war broke out, at 
which time he raised Company G, of the Twentieth Kansas Regim.ent, and led 
it in the battles around Manila. From a local journal we take the following 
very appreciative tribute to Captain Elliott : 

" His life was an open book ; there were no secret corners in all his 
career which will not bear the closest scrutiny. He loved men and manhood 
and women and womanhood. He despised the false, ignoble and hypocritical. 
He stood always for the right, and every cause having for its object the bet- 



HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELD. 35' 

terment or benefit of the community had in him and his paper a strong and 
earnest advocate. If his death has caused general sorrow to the community 
what must be the pangs of grief to those with whom he Hved ? Ilis family 
life was so happy, and sweet and true that only those who knew him as hus- 
band and father can fully realize what death has done. To them the deepest 
sympathy which human hearts are capable of is extended, in the hope that 
consolation may lighten their sorrow. They do not weep alone, for the com- 
munity weeps with them. 

" The greatest eulogy that can be pronounced upon a human being is to 
say that he was a good man. Surely, if ever mortal deserved such encomium, 
this veteran commander does. To him death was not the end ; it was only 
the beginning. It was a silent transition from this life into a larger one, 
where the soul knows no bounds and manhood reaches toward perfection. 
He has gone to his reward, but his memory will be reverenced long after the 
sod has been rounded up over his narrow couch in Elmwood Cemetery. 

" The broad, fraternal spirit of the deceased was shown by the readiness 
with which he entered organizations having as their objects provision for and 
care of the widows and orphans, or anything for the betterment of the com- 
munity. He stood nobly by all these, but his home was never neglected nor 
overlooked. That was the centre of his life and the altar at which he wor- 
shiped. His letters from the front were always designed to relieve his wife 
and children of any anxiety they had about his welfare. His home life was 
so precious that its memory will abide forever." 

The Gallant Stotsenburg. 

We have here space to mention only some of the more conspicuous 
heroes of the battlefields around Manila. Their bravery was such as we 
always expect from American troops. There is no better fighting material in 
the world, although some of the military experts of Europe have maintained 
that so far as officers are concerned we are in a measure defective. But every 
conflict develops, at length, the right kind of officers, and they become 
famous for their generalship. 

One officer was killed at Quingua, near Malolos, who in his own State 
of Nebraska was not only widely known, but greatly admired and respected. 
He was a man of unusual intelligence, of noble character, and was a tower of 
strength among our troops at Manila. The battle was raging at Malolos. 
when Colonel Stotsenburg, commander of the Nebraska regiment, arrived 
on the battlefield, having just returned from Manila. He was always a 
remarkable example of courage and displayed it on this occasion. Rushing 
into the thick of the fight, he was fatally shot. 




CHAPTER XXII. 
Dewey* s Guns Sounded the Doom of Spain. 

HEN the Spanish ships went down in the Harbor of Manila, when 
the proud fleet which boasted that it would annihilate the Yankee 
squadron, was itself stunned to death, when Dewey and Schley 
crushed the boasted naval power of the haughty kingdom that 
once ruled the world, the doom of Spain was sealed. 

The historian writes of her with sadness. From being the proudest and 
most powerful nation of the globe she has fallen once for all. There are 
none now so poor as to do her reverence. It is strictly true that one naval 
battle in Manila harbor was the crushing blow that ended the downfall of 

Spain. 

It will be interesting in this connection to briefly trace the history of the 
Spanish Empire and note the successive steps by which her power has been 
broken and her glory dimmed. No American at present has taken sufficient 
account of the fact that our victories have sealed the doom of the Castilian 
Empire and changed the relations of European nations. 

Her Glory has Departed. 

To the student of the philosophy of history no more thrillingly interest- 
ing chapter has ever been written than that penned by Buckle on the causes 
of the decadence of Spain, and no more significant words were ever spoken 
than those he used when contrasting the Spain of Philip II. with the Spain of 
to-day. As it is known to us, no country in Europe is of less consequence 
in the world's affairs. 

Little Portugal, that once acknowledged the dominion of Spain and 
formed a province in the Spanish Empire, is now of more importance. The 
Balkan States, which arose but yesterday out of the ruins of the Ottoman 
Empire, are infinitely more potential. Even Greece and Denmark, both once 
great empires, and now, with Spain, in eclipse, cut a large figure in the world's 
affairs, for each, by its geographical position, is able to command a respect 
that is not shown to Spain. 

The time was when the affairs of Europe and the world were directed 
from Madrid ; but now, when the powers meet in conference to settle questions 
of mighty import, Madrid sends no representative to the congress, for Spain 
852 



DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED rilE DOOM OK SPAIN. 3o3 

has no influence, is not consulted, and, so far as appears on the records, is not 
even thought of by the diplomats of the powers that now control the affairs 
of the eastern hemisphere. From a position of supreme authority, Spain 
has sunk so low as to be utterly disregarded in the world's politics and 
ignored in the world's movements. 

When the universal contempt into which Spain has fallen is remembered, 
it is difficult to realize that only three centuries ago Spain ruled the world. 
It was the Emperor Charles V. who first made the proud boast that on his 
dominions the sun never set, nor was it an idle word, but a plain statement of 
fact. 

At its greatest extent the Spanish Empire spread so far beyond the limits 
of the peninsula that the original boundaries of the Spanish State inclosed its 
smallest possession. The sway of Charles was acknowledged, not only over 
Spain, of which he was the hereditary monarch, but in a large part of Southern 
Italy, in Sicily, in Portugal and in the Netherlands, while as Emperor he 
ruled over a considerable portion of the present possessions of Austria and 
all the small States, which almost from the dawn of authentic history, have 
been grouped under the general name of Germany. 

Spain had Vast Dominions in America. 

In America the Spanish power was acknowledged over a territory so 
vast as to make the mightiest empire of antiquity seem contemptible by com- 
parison. Charles claimed for his own the 8,000,000 square miles of North 
America and the 7,000,000 of South America, a grand total of 15,000,000 
square miles on this side of the Atlantic, while the possessions in Africa, 
Asia and the innumerable islands that, in every sea, acknowledged allegiance 
to the Spanish throne, brought up, with the European States, the area of the 
empire to a grand total of not less, and perhaps more, than 17,000,000 square 
miles. Never before nor since has so vast a territory been governed by one 
man. 

The Czar of Russia rules a territory a little more than half the size of 
that which owned the sway of Charles ; the British flag floats over much less 
than two-thirds that area ; the Roman eagles, in the golden days of Trajan, 
were honored over a territory only one-sixth as large as the dominions of 
Charles, while the empires of Greece, and Assyria, and Bab\-lon, and the great 
States founded by the Moguls and Genghis Kljan, were petty by comparison 
with the Spanish dominions. Over 100 different political commonwealths have 
been carved out of the Spanish Empire, and still the process is going on. 

The overshadowing supremacy of Spain can be better understood by 
glancing at the relative positions held by other States of Europe that have 
23-D 



S54 DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 

grown while Spain was declining. When Spain was at her best, France was 
hardly more than a vassal State. Hemmed in on every side by her powerful 
neighbor, the territory of France was much more limited than at present, while 
the crushing defeats of the French arms at the hands of the dreaded Spanish 
caused, in Spain, the same contempt for France that is now felt in the 
latter country for Spain. Germany and the German States in Austria were a 
part of the empire, while to the south-east, the Hungarians were so constantly 
engaged in battling with the Turks, as to find no time for other occupation. 

The States of Italy not under control of the Spanish Empire were under 
its political influence, while to the east of Germany, the Kingdom of Poland, 
when not divided by civil strife among its nobility, was alternately waging war 
against the Turks to the south and the savage tribes in the great steppes which 
extended to the base of the Ural range. 

Russia was little more considered in the affairs of Europe than China is 
at present, being regarded as a savage State, while Denmark and Sweden were 
hardly more esteemed than Russia. Even England had not, at that time, 
come to be recognized as a first-class power, and, although Charles and Henry 
VIII. met on terms of equality as reigning sovereigns, it was regarded at the 
time as a special condescension on the part of the former that he, the ruler of 
the world, should show such a courtesy to the king of a pretty group of 
islands north of the channel. 

England Comparatively Weak. 

The English colonial period had not begun, and nothing was known of 
the marvelous ability of the English people as colonists in a new country ; 
the English commerce and manufactures and banking institutions were all in 
the future ; there was no standing army on the islands ; a few top-heavy ships, 
more dangerous to the sailors on board from a tendency to capsize, than to 
the enemy, represented the splendid fleets that now carry the British flag on 
every sea. Spain was the master of the world, and no proposal of interna- 
tional consequence was made in any court of Europe without consulting the 
Spanish ambassador ; nor was any plan carried out without the approval of 

Jiis master. 

The natural resources of the Spanish Peninsula are in themselves so con- 
siderable, that in the hands of an enterprising and industrious people, the 
country would take high rank among the nations of the earth, but the resour- 
ces of Spain were but a trifle compared with those of the empire. The Italian 
and Sicilian possessions were wealthy, the German and Austrian portions 
were still more so, and the Netherlands were a constant source of revenue to 
the imperial treasury. 



THE 
BOUNDING BILLOW. 



PUBLISHED II] THE II^TEl^ESTS OP 5:rQEI{l(iftI] rQEI^-O'-Wftl^SIQEI]. 



Published at intervals 
on \L S. F. S. Olympia. 



MANILA, P. I., AUG.-SEPT., 1898. 



S VOL. I. 
NO. 6. 



^0 



f^ 



, Vtrogress, Peace and P 
^^ The Fall of Manila. ^^{^ 




3t irill lire in bcatljicss story t^oro our banner Ub ttje ftgtjt, 
3n all its pristine glory to bo battle for tl}c ricjljt, 

dnb roljcre oppression rages, in majeslY sublime 

(Columbia battle wages, on its sinblack list of crime. 

[The above is a fac-simile of the first page of the Aug. -Sept. issue of "The Bound- 
ine Billow." edited by L. S. Young on board Admiral Dewey's flagship, the Olympia.] 
^ 855 



356 DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 

All that Europe could give, however, was a drop in the bucket compared 
to the incalculable sums sent to Spain from the almost limitless colonies in 
America. The native rulers of Mexico, Central America and Peru yielded 
up their treasures at the command of the military adventurers who conquered 
those countries, and the mines, worked by the labor of hapless Indian slaves, 
poured forth gold and silver in such quantities as the world had never known. 

Every galleon that crossed from Spain to America returned laden with 
treasure. It is estimated that in the century which followed the discovery of 
the New World, 2,000 tons of gold and three times that quantity of silver 
crossed the ocean to be squandered in Spain. Penniless knights, with only 
their arms, borrowed money to seek their fortune in America and returned 
millionaires. Merchants and capitalists who invested their means in American 
ventures became enormously rich. Men who went out to America as common 
soldiers came back in a few years and paraded the streets of Madrid and 
Toledo and Cordova with processions of slaves and attendants such as befitted 
the state of a prince. 

In 1540 a Spanish soldier was married in Barcelona to the daughter of a 
nobleman, and gave away in alms at his wedding ^600,000 in gold and silver. 
Spain was literally intoxicated with wealth, and went wild with the expectation 
of more. In every tov/n there were those who had made fortunes in America 
and returned to Spain to flaunt their ill-gotten gains before their former asso- 
ciates. The wildest extravagance prevailed. 

A Nation of Spendthrifts and Gamblers. 

A returned Spaniard in 1557 stood at his window in Madrid and threw, 
a handful at a time, two barrels of silver coins into the street below, for the 
pleasure of seeing the people scramble and fight for the money. The wildest 
tales of spendthrift fancy during periods of abnormal development elsewhere 
.seem tame, when compared with the follies of the newly rich in Spain during 
the century after the discovery. 

Extravagance, whether national or individual, infallibly brings its own 
punishment, and Spain was no exception to the rule. It is possible for nations, 
as individuals, to become shiftless, and Spain had become a nation of improvi- 
dent gamblers. Agriculture and the industries which build up the substantial 
prosperity of a nation were neglected, while thousands of the young men, 
the best blood of the country, flocked to America to join those who had gone 
before in the search for gold. 

So great was the outflow of the bone and sinew of the nation, that in 
15-94, mechanics in the cities of Spain commanded four times the daily wages 
that had been paid thirty years earlier, while in the agricultural districts 



DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 357 

labor could not be had at any price, and hundreds of farms remained untillcd 
because of the lack of men to perform the necessary work. The stupid 
policy of the government still further increased the difficulty, for Piiilip II., 
affirming that he would rather not reign at all than reign over heretics and 
unbelievers, began a policy of expelling Dissenters, Jews and Moriscoes, who 
took with them a large share of the industries and arts of Spain. 

The expulsion of the Moors in particular did infinite damage to the coun- 
try, for whatever of industrial skill remained in it belonged to them, and 
the result of their emigration was the immediate annihilation of Spanish man- 
ufactures. This, however, was only a part of the Spanish misfortunes. The 
sudden exaltation of Spain produced a degree of pride that, to other nations, 
was unendurable, while the wealth of the Spanish monarch excited the bitter 
envy of all his contemporary sovereigns, and led to combinations against the 
Spanish power. 

Personal pique often plays as important a part in national as in society 
affairs, and when the Ambassadors of England, France and Venice found the 
representative of the Majesty of Spain claiming precedence over themselves, 
because, to use the grandiloquent language of one Don, " My master rules the 
earth and your kings are but his puppets," it was natural, not only that they 
should report their grievance to their governments, but also that their indig- 
nant sovereigns should take up the quarrel and make it personal to themselves. 

Involved in Many Wars. 

The consequence was that even during the reign of Charles V. the 
empire became involved in war with all its neighbors, while the peace within 
was often broken on account ot the zeal with which the State undertook to 
aid the Church in the extirpation of heresy. There was a long and costly 
war with Francis I., arising from the jealousy felt by France for her more 
powerful neighbor ; there was a longer and still more expensive strife waged 
against the Protestants of Germany and the people of the Netherlands, while 
Charles, though eager to exterminate heretics, did not scruple to make war 
on the Pope, and military operations on a large scale were also carried on 
against the Turks, Tunis and Algiers. 

The consequence was that even the enormous sums sent to the Imperial 
Treasury from Mexico and Peru were insufficient to defray the expenses of 
these campaigns, and Charles was forced to levy extraordinary taxes on the 
people. These caused revolts all over Spain, and m several provinces a guer- 
Villa war was carried on by the people against the Imperial troops for several 
of the later years of the reign of Charles. 

Even the extraordinary levies failed to produce funds in sufficient amount 



358 DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 

to carry out the plans of Charles, and he was finally compelled to contract an 
enormous debt, for the payment of which he pledged the revenues of the 
State. There is abundant reason to believe that Charles clearly foresaw the 
approaching decline of the Spanish power, but there is no special evidence to 
show that he abdicated in order to escape his share of the responsibility. 

He was not a man to shirk responsibility. His abdication seems to have 
been the act of an old, broken, disappointed and thoroughly heart-sick man. 
He had seen all his plans fail. He had seen France once crushed, but 
stronger than ever ; he had seen Protestantism apparently exterminated in 
Germany, but having ten times more adherents at the close than at the open- 
ing of his reign. He was sick of the whole business, and so in disgust 
turned it over to his son to manage as best he could. 

The evil that Charles did lived after him, and soon grew to mighty pro- 
portions under Philip H. Some of the mischievous measures of this short- 
sighted king have already been alluded to, but the most disastrous and far- 
reaching mistake was the English war. His marriage with Mary had not 
endeared him in the least to the English people, and his conquest of Portugal 
and merciless campaigns against the heretics of the Netherlands showed the 
English what they might expect should he succeed in obtaining authority on 
the islands. 

The death of Mary did not put an end to his schemes, but his failure to 
contract a matrimonial alliance with Elizabeth enraged him, and, for revenge, 
he planned the conquest of England. 

Destruction of the Great Spanish Fleet. 

The story of the "Invincible Armada" has been often told, and is 
familiar to every schoolboy, but not so well known is the fact that Philip was 
inspired to fit out the great fleet in 1588 by the success of a naval campaign 
against the Turks in 1571, m which the Spanish fleet, allied with the naval 
forces of all the Mediterranean States, put an end to the Turkish growth at 
sea and forced the Moslems to confine their military operations to the land. 
Philip dreamed of another Lepanto on the English coast, and, with sublime 
confidence in the invincibility of his fleet, was with difficulty restrained from 
accompanying it to England. 

The ruin of the Armada was the first great shock to the Spanish monar- 
chy. It had been weakening for years, but the weakness here and there 
observable did not detract from public belief in the general strength. The 
loss of the Armada showed the world Spain's weakest point, and the enemies 
of the Spanish State were not slow to profit by the knowledge thus gained. 

The English, the Dutch, the French hastened to build vessels on the. 



DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 359 

type of those in which Drake and his captains out-manceuvred the unwieldly 
galleons that floated helplessly up the channel, and in less than a century 
three other great fleets bearing the Spanish flag had been captured or 
destroyed by the small fleet cruisers of these constantly hostile nations, and 
innumerable Spanish vessels had been taken singly, whose treasure was spent" 
as prize money in Amsterdam, Bordeaux and Portsmouth by elated sailors. 

In addition to these reverses abroad, a train of disasters came at hotrn ' 

4 

from the incompetence of the Spanish rulers. No country was probably evel , 
so cursed with fanatical and imbecile kings as was Spain during the seven 
teenth century. Each seemed, if possible, a little worse than his predecessor ; 
a little more stupid, a little more bigoted, a little less able to see facts that 
were obvious to all others, until the line was ended by an idiot scarcely able 
to master the knowledge necessary to sign his name to state papers. 

The Empire Going to Decay. 

The consequences were apparent, both at home and abroad. Travelers 
through Spain declared that the whole country seemed under a blight. 
Industry was dead, the farms were untilled, the pastures untenanted, the 
population bad fallen off to an alarming extent, the roads between towns could 
not be used. The provinces and dependent States were in constant rebellion. 
There were insurrections in Italy and Sicily, Portugal recovered its independ- 
ence, the Spanish were driven out of the Netherlands, there were wars with 
France in which the arms of the latter were uniformly victorious, the Ameri- 
can colonies were almost completely cut off from intercourse with the home 
government on account of the activity of English and Dutch cruisers, while 
what news came was largely of misfortune, for the mines of precious metals 
were failing, rival viceroys and governors were fighting, and the pirates 
of the West Indies infested the coasts of Mexico, Central America and Vene- 
zuela to such an extent that only a large and well-armed fleet could pass in 
safety through the gauntlet of pirate brigantines. 

To crown all, under Charles II., at the beginning of the following cen- 
tury, came the famous war of the Spanish Succession, in which the best blood 
of Spain was poured out on distant fields in a quarrel in which the Spanish 
people felt little interest, and at its close the power of the State was still 
further reduced by the cessions which Philip V. was compelled to make in 
order to maintain himself on the Spanish throne. 

The eighteenth century was a period of almost uninterrupted disaster. 
Two unsuccessful wars were waged with England ; during one Gibraltar 
became an English possession ; during the other, when Spain took sides with 
France after the Revolution; the Spanish fleet w^ destroyed, all the ports of 



360 DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 

Spain were blockaded and the country reduced to abject misery. But these 
great misfortunes were small when compared to those which came in the tirst 
quarter of this century. 

The attempt of Napoleon to force a French king upon the Spanish people 
led to a guerrilla war against the invaders, which raged for years in every 
nook and corner of the peninsula, and, though successful, left the country a 
barren waste. The officers of Wellington's army have left accounts of the 
pitiable condition of Spain and its inhabitants as witnessed during their cam- 
paigns against the French. Throughout whole provinces not a farm was 
under cultivation ; heaps of ashes and standing chimneys marked the sites 
of towns and villages, and a few ragged, starving wretches, picking up acorns 
in the forest, represented the population. 

Such was the state of Spain at the end of Napoleon's wars, and worse 
was to come, for three years after Napoleon had been sent to St. Helena 
mutterings of revolt were heard in the American colonies. By 1820 the 
whole of Spanish America was in open insurrection. Heroic attempts were 
made by the government to put down the rebellions that had sprung up all 
over the Spanish colonies, but from Mexico to Chili the whole country was 
up and armed, and the few troops that could be sent from Spain accom- 
plished nothing. 

Rapid Decline of Spain. 

The same policy that was prosecuted in Cuba — that of utter extermina- 
tion — was attempted in America, but the Spaniards were too few to extern 
minate whole nations, and, though the war was prosecuted with as much 
vigor as could be shown by a degenerate race, before the close of 1826 the 
Spaniards had been driven from every position on the mainland of America 
and their splendid empire was gone. 

Since then the decline of Spain has been still more marked than before. 
Revolution has succeeded revolution ; a war with France in 1823, civil wars 
in the Basque country, the Carlist war and other struggles have tended to 
weaken the nation, while industries are paralyzed, agriculture is at a stand- 
still, and of its former greatness Spain retains only the pride of recollection. 

So rapid a decline and a fall so great have not taken place without 
attracting the attention of philosophical minds, which have exerted them- 
selves to discover and explain the causes of the decay of an empire that 
comprised more territory within its limits than any other known to the his- 
torian. It is interesting to observe that, in general, the historians have 
explained the phenomenon according to their own prejudices. The political 
economist teaches that the enormous wealth brought from America, instead 



DFAVEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 361 

of enriching, really impoverished Spain, since it induced neglect of home 
industries and generated an extravagance which became the ruin of the nation. 
Buckle finds, or thinks he finds, the cause, partly at least, in the sCv>erstitious 
reverence for authority which kept the Spaniards faithful to church and 
state, even while they knew the one to be corrupt and the other incompetent. 

Pride of character and an arrogance that excited the hatred of all for- 
eigners and the antagonism of all foreign states, the warlike habits of the 
Spanish people, confirmed by eight centuries of constant conflict with the 
Moors, draining the country of its best men and leaving only the weakly 
and infirm, each and every one of these causes, together with innumerable 
others, have been upheld by able advocates. Explain it as we may, the fact 
remains, that for whatever cause or causes the Spain of to-day is but a 
phantom of the Spain of three centuries ago; the splendid empire of Charles 
V. and Philip II. has not melted away. It has been violently rent in pieces, 
and not a leading power in the world but has grown great, in some degree, 
at the expense of Spain. 

The Philippines were by far the most important of Spain's possessions in 
size, population and natural wealth. They are three-fifths as large as Spain 
and have nearly as dense a population. They comprise three-fourths or four- 
fifths of the entire colonial population of Spain. That country has drawn 
from them for centuries a large profit. The area of this archipelago is 1 14,000 
square miles, and the population is probably about 8,000,000. 

Colonies Sold to Germany. 

The oceanic possessions of Spain, some of which were sold to Germany 
in 1899, are three Pacific groups of small islands named the Pelew, or Palaos, 
the Caroline and the Marianne or Ladrones. They all lie immediately to the 
east of the Philippines and adjoin each other. The Pelew Islands are imme- 
diately east of Mindanao and have the Carolines on the north and east. 
They are volcanic coral islands, imbedded in coral reefs, and are eleven in 
number. Together they aggregate 200 square miles. The population now 
numbers only 10,000 or less. 

The Caroline Islands form a vast coral archipelago, stretching over a 
band of 2,000 miles long east and west, and 300 broad. The number of 
islands and islets is very great, but there are only about 40 which are known 
to be inhabited. The largest is Ponapoi, or Ascension Island, near the 
eastern extremity of the group and nearly half way from the Philippines to 
Hawaii. It is about twelve miles in diameter and has a population of 5,000. 
Rouk, Trouk, or Hogolon Island, near the center of the group, is smaller, 
but has about the sam^ 4^opulj>tion. 



362 DEWEY'S GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN. 

The aggregate area of this vast extent of islands is only 300 or 400 
square miles and the total population about 20,000. The people are like the 
Hawaiian', in character. The climate is one of the most delightful found on 
the eiuUi's surface. The Pelew Islands lie on the same submarine plateau as 
the Carolines, and are associated with them physically as they now are politi- 
cally. The people of the Pelews are, however, darker and belong to another 
race. ^ 

Three-fifths of Spain's colonial area is Saharan. With the loss of the? 
Philippines and Cuba, Spain sinks to the last place in the series, and will have 
no important colony proper. This is a pathetic condition when compared 
with her state when Pope Alexander VI., in 1493, magnanimously divided 
between Portugal and herself the unknown parts of the earth, giving to Spain 
all the American continent except a little of Brazil. But her actual posses- 
sion of America was always largely a fiction. 

He Gave Them Shells For Breakfast. 

It was Sunday at Manila, upon the first of May, 

That Dewey thrashed the Spaniards and our brave boys won the day. 

Dewey steamed into the harbor under cover of the night, 

And at daybreak in the morning was ready for the fight. 

The Dons were up quite early, and saw, to their surprise, 
Our ships were in the harbor and they noted now their size J 
They saw the task before them was not any easy one. 
They must sink the Yankee squadron if a victory would be won. 

They accepted the gage of battle and fired the signal shot; 
Our ships responded nobly — the fight waxed strong and hot — 
Until Dewey burned their vessels and sank them, one by onej 
Their forts? They, too, were silenced and a glorious victory won. 

All glory, then, to Dewey and his brave old Yankee crew, 
They "done" the Dons completely, as no other boys could do. 
He gave them shells for breakfast, washed with water of the bay, 
And he sent them all to glory in the good old Yankee way. 

F. C. Wells. 




CHAPTER XXIII. ^ 

Lfiberal Government Offered the Filipinos. 

HEN, by the terms of the Treaty of Peace with Spain, the Philippine 

Islands came into the possession of the United States, the question 

was what we should do with them. We were entering upon a new 

and untried national experience. We were strangers in Asia. We 

had never floated the Stars and Stripes over Malays or Oriental heathen. 

Here was a population of 8,000,000 people thrown upon our hands, and a large 

^art of them were ignorant barbarians. What should be done with them ? 

But we paid Spain 20,000,000 dollars for these islands, with the very wise 
and benevolent intention of civilizing them and giving them good schools and 
religious liberty. It was dreamed by many that these ignorant people on the 
other side of the globe would simply fall down on their knees and praise Godt 
or some heathen deity, for the privilege of being brought under the authority 
of the United States. But suddenly it was discovered that Aguinaldo and his 
hordes were not charmed with the idea of becoming American citizens. 

Only One Course to Pursue. 

Still it was the opinion of our wisest statesmen, that as the Philippine 
Islands had come into our hands, there was nothing left for us to do but to 
conquer the natives, to bring them into subjection, show our good disposition 
toward them, give them a liberal form of government, and prove that the con- 
quering nation was their friend. We could not surrender the city of Manila 
to a lawless mob. There were good, law-abiding people in that city and vast 
commercial and moneyed interests to be protected. 

Our government sent a civil commission to Manila, of whom President 
Schurman, of Cornell University, was the chairman. The object they had in 
view was to explain the good intentions of our government to the Filipinos 
and bring them to terms of peace. The commission did all it could in this 
direction, acting with great zeal and discretion, yet, as some thought, too much 
disposed to deal gently in.stead of forcibly with the enemy. It was believed 
that nothing but a demonstration of United States military power would sul> 
due the insurrection. 

The intentions of our government were fully expressed by President 

McKinley in a remarkable speech made at Boston where he received a great 

ovation, and was welcomed at an enthusiastic banquet of the Home Market 

S6S 



364 GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 

Club, in Mechanics' Hall. When he arose to speak he stood for some minutes 
before he was able to proceed, and this demonstration was frequently repeated 
during his speech. He outlined the intentions of our government, and stated 
clearly and eloquently what we proposed to do. Mr. McKinley said : 

" The Philippines, like Cuba and Porto Rico, were intrusted to our hands 
by the war, and to that great trust, under the providence of God and in the 
,name of human progress and civilization, we are committed. 

" It is a trust we have not sought ; it is a trust from which we will not 
flinch. The American people will hold up the hands of their servants at home 
to whom they commit its execution, while Dewey and Otis and the brave men 
whom they command, will have the support of the country in upholding our 
flag where it now floats, the symbol and assurance of liberty and justice. 

" What nation was ever able to write an accurate program of the war 
upon which it was entering, much less decree in advance the scope of its 
results ? Congress can declare war, but a higher power decrees its bounds 
and fixes its relations and responsibilities. The President can direct the move- 
ments of soldiers on the field and fleets upon the sea, but he cannot foresee the 
close of such movements or prescribe their limits. He cannot anticipate or 
avoid the consequences, but he must meet them. No accurate map of nations 
engaged in war can be traced until the war is over, nor can the measure of 
responsibility be fixed until the last gun is fired and the verdict embodied in 
the stipulations of peace. 

Cannot Evade Our Responsibility. 

" We hear no complaint of the relations created by the war between this 
government and the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico. There are some, how- 
ever, who regard the Philippines as in a different relation ; but whatever variety 
of views there may be on this phase of the question, there is universal agree- 
ment that the Philippines shall not be turned back to Spain. No true Ameri- 
can consents to that. 

" Even if unwilling to accept them ourselves, it would have been a weak 
evasion of manly duty to require Spain to transfer them to some other Power 
or Powers, and thus shirk our own responsibility. Even if we had had, as we 
did not have, the power to compel such a transfer, it could not have been made 
without the most serious international complications. 

" Such a course could not be thought of, and yet had we refused to 
accept the cession of them we should have had no power over them, even for 
their own good. We could not discharge the responsibilities upon us until these 
islands became ours either by conquest or treaty. There was but one alterna- 
tive, and that was either Spain or the United States in the Philippines, 



GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 365 

" The other suggestions — first, that they should be tossed into the arena 
of contention for the strife of nations ; or, second, be left to the anarchy and 
chaos of no protectorate at all — were too shameful to be considered. 

" The treaty gave them to the United States. Could we have required 
less and done our duty ? Could we, after freeing the Filipinos from the dom- 
ination of Spain, have left them without government and without power to 
protect life or property, or to perform the international obligations essential to 
an independent State? Could we have left them in a state of anarchy and 
justified ourselves in our own consciences or before the tribunal of mankind ?* 
Could we have done that in the sight of God and man ? 

" Our concern was not for territory, or trade, or empire, but for the peo- 
ple whose interests and destiny, without our willing it, had been put in our 
hands. It was this feeling, that, from the first day to the last, not one word or 
line went from the Executive in Washington to our military and naval com- 
manders at Manila, or to our Peace Commissioners at Paris, that did not put 
as the sole purpose to be kept in mind, first after the success of our arms and 
the maintenance of our own honor, the welfare and happiness, and the rights 
of the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands. 

Obeying a High Moral Obligation. 

*' Did we need their consent to perform a great act for humanity? We 
had it in every aspiration of their minds, in every hope of their hearts. Was 
it necessary to ask their consent to capture Manila, the capital of their islands ? 
Did we ask their consent to liberate them from Spanish sovereignty or to enter 
Manila Bay and destroy the Spanish sea power there ? We did not ask these. 
We were obeying a higher moral obligation which rested on us, and which 
did not require anybody's consent. 

" We were doing our duty by them, as God gave us light to see our duty 
[great applause and ovation] with the consent of our own consciences and 
with the approval of civilization. Every present obligation has been met and 
fulfilled in the expulsion of Spanish sovereignty from their islands, and while 
the war that destroyed it was in progress we could not ask their views. Nor 
can we now ask their consent. 

" Indeed, can any one tell me in what form it could be marshalled anoi 
ascertained until peace and order, so necessary to the reign ot reason, shall be 
secured and established ? A reign of terror is not the kind of rule under 
which right action and deliberate judgment are possible. 

" It is not a good time for the liberator to submit important questions 
concerning liberty and government tc th«* liberated while thev are engaged in 
shooting down their rescuers. 



366 GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 

" We have now ended the war with Spain, The treaty has been ratified 
by more than two-thirds of the Senate of the United States; and by the judg- 
ment of nine-tenths of its people. No nation was ever more fortunate in war 
or more honorable in negotiations in peace. Spain is now eliminated from 
the problem. It remains to ask what we shall now do ? I do not intrude upon 
the duties of Congress or seek to anticipate or forestall its action. I only say 
that the treaty of peace, honorably secured, having been ratified by the 
United States, and, as we confidently expect, shortly to be ratified in Spain^ 
Congress will have the power, and I am sure the purpose, to do what in good 
morals is right and just and humane for these peoples in distant seas. 

" It is sometimes hard to determine what is best to do, and the best thing 
to do is oftentimes the hardest. The prophet of evil would do nothing, 
because he flinches at sacrifice and effort, and to do nothing is easiest and 
involves the least cost. On those who have things to do there rests a respon- 
sibility which is not on those who have no obligations as doers. 

" If the doubters were in a majority, there would, it is true, be no labor, 
no sacrifice, no anxiety, and no burden raised or carried ; no contribution 
from our ease and purse and comfort to the welfare of others, or even to the 
extension of our resources to the welfare of ourselves. There would be ease, 
but, alas ! there would be nothing done. 

Honest Effort to Settle the Problem. 

" But grave problems come in the life of a nation, however much men 
may seek to avoid them. They come without our seeking ; why, we do not 
know, and it is not always given us to know ; but the generation on which 
they are forced cannot avoid the responsibility of honestly striving for their 
solution. We may not know precisely how to solve them, but we can make 
an honest effort to that end, and if made in conscience, justice and honor, it 
will not be in vain. 

" The future of the Philippine Islands is now in the hands of the Ameri- 
can people. Until the treaty was ratified or rejected the executive department 
of this government could only preserve the peace and protect life and pro- 
perty. That treaty now commits the free and enfranchised Filipinos to the 
guiding hand and liberalizing influences, the generous sympathies, the uplift- 
ing education, not of their American masters, but of their American emanci- 
'pators. No one can tell to-day what is best for them or for us. I know no 
one at this hour who is wise enough or sufficiently informed to determine 
what form of government will best subserve their interests and our interests, 
their and our well-being. 

" If we know everything by intuition — and I sometimes think that these 



GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 367 

are those who beheve that if we do not they do — we should not need informa- 
tion ; but, unfortunately, most of us are not in that happy state. The whole 
subject is now with Congress, and Congress is the voice, the conscience and 
the judgment of the American people. Upon their judgment and conscience 
can we not rely? I believe in them. I trust them. I know of no better or 
safer human tribunal than the people. 

"Until Congress shall direct otherwise, it will be the duty of the Execu- 
tive to possess and hold the Philippines, giving to the people thereof peace 
and order and beneficent government, affording them every opportunity to 
prosecute their lawful pursuits, encouraging them in thrift and industry, mak- 
ing- them feel and know that we are their friends, not their enemies ; that their 
good is our aim, that their welfare is our welfare, but that neither their aspira- 
tions nor ours can be realized until our authority is acknowledged and unques- 
tioned. 

"That the inhabitants of the Philippines will be benefited by this 
Republic is my unshaken belief. That they will have a kindlier government 
under our guidance, and that they will be aided in every possible way to be 
self-respecting and self-governing people, is as true as that the American 
people love liberty and have an abiding faith in their own government and in 
their own institutions. 

Our Principles Go with the Flag. 
" No imperial designs lurk in the American mind. They are alien to 
American sentiment, thought and purpose. Our priceless principles undergo 
no change under a tropical sun. They go with the flag. They are wrought 
in every one of its sacred folds and are inextinguishable in their shining as 
the stars. 

" Why read ye not the changeless truth — 
The free can conquer but to save, 

" If we can benefit these remote people, who will object ? If in the 
years of the future they are established in government under law and liberty, 
who will regret our perils and sacrifices? Who will not rejoice in our hero- 
rism and humanity? Always perils, and always after them safety. Always 
darkness and clouds, but always shining through them the light and the sun- 
shine ; always cost and sacrifice, but always after them the fruition of liberty, 
education and civilization. 

" I have no light or knowledge not common to my countrymen. I do 
not prophesy. The present is all-absorbing to me, but I cannot bound my 
vision by the blood-stained trenches around Manila, where every red drop, 



368 GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 

whether from the veins of an American soldier or a misguided Filipino, is 
anguish to my heart, but by the broad range of future years, when that group 
of islands, under the impulse of the year just past, shall have become the 
gems and glories of those tropical seas, a land of plenty and of increasing 
possibilities, a people redeemed from savage indolence and habits, devoted to 
the arts of peace, in touch with the commerce and trade of all nations, enjoy-; 
ing the blessings of freedom, of civil and religious liberty, of education and 
of homes, and whose children and children's children shall for ages hence 
bless the American Republic because it emancipated and redeemed their 
fatherland and set them in the pathway of the world's best civilization." 

On April 4th President McKinley's Commissioners made a statement 
intended to assure the natives of the islands that the aims of the United 
States were friendly and all the rights of the natives would be guaranteed. 
The proclamation of the Philippine Commission was issued in English, 
Spanish and Tagalano. 

What Our Government Aims to Do. 

The preamble recited the cession by the peace treaty of the Philippine 
Islands to the United States, referred to the appointment of the commission, 
assured the people of the cordial good-will and fraternal feeling of the Presi- 
dent of the United States and the American people, and asserted that the 
object which the United States Government, apart from the fulfillment of its 
solemn obligations, had assumed toward the family of nations by the accept- 
ance of the sovereignty over the islands, was the well-being, prosperity and 
happiness of the Filipino people and their elevation and advancement to a 
position among the most civilized peoples of the world. Continuing, the 
proclamation said : 

"The President believes this felicity and perfection of the Filipino people 
will be brought about by the cultivation of letters, science and the liberal and 
the practical arts, by the enlargement of intercourse with foreign nations, the 
expansion of industrial pursuits by trade and commerce, by the multiplication 
and improvement of means of internal communication, and by the develop- 
ment of the great natural resources of the archipelago. 

" Unfortunately, these pure aims and purposes of the American govern- 
ment and people have been misinterpreted to some of the inhabitants of cer- 
tain islands, and, in consequence, the friendly American forces, without provo- 
cation or cause, have been openly attacked. Why these hostilities ? What 
do the best Filipinos desire ? Can it be more than the United States is ready 
to give? 

" They say they are patriots and want liberty. The commission emphat- 



GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 369 

ically asserts that it is willing and anxious to establish an enlightened system 
of government, under which the people may enjoy the largest measure of 
home rule and the amplest liberty consonant with the supreme ends of the 
government, and compatible with those obligations which the United States 
have assumed toward the civilized nations of the world." 

The proclamation then said there could be no real conflict between 
American sovereignty and the rights and liberties of the Filipinos, for 
America was ready to furnish armies and navies and all the resources of a 
great and powerful nation to maintain its rightful supremacy over the islands, 
so it was even more solicitous to spre^jd peace and happiness among the 
people, and guarantee them rightful freedom, to protect their just privileges 
and immunities, to accustom to free self-government in ever-increasing meae- 
ure, and to encourage those democratic aspirations, sentiments and ideals 
which are the promise and potency of fruitful national development. 

In conclusion, it was stated that the Commission would visit the Philip- 
pine provinces to ascertain the enlightened native opinion as to the forms of 
government adapted to the people and conformable with their traditions and 

ideals. 

The leading representative men were asked to meet the Commission, 
which further declared that the policy of the United States, in the establish- 
ment and maintenance of the government was to consult the wishes and 
secure the advice and co-operation of the people. 

Propositions Made to the Filipinos. 

The proclamation proper contained eleven articles declaring America's 
intentions, as follows : 

pirst. — The supremacy of the United States must and will be enforced 
throughout every part of the archipelago, and those who resist can accom- 
plish nothing except their own ruin. 

Second. — The amplest liberty of self-government will be granted which 
is reconcilable with the just, stable, effective and economical administration, 
and compatible with the sovereign rights and obligations of the United States. 

Third. — The civil rights of the Filipinos will be guaranteed and pro- 
tected, their religious freedom will be assured and all will have equal standing 
before the law. 

Fourth. — Honor, justice and friendship forbid the exploitation of the 
people of the islands. The purpose of the American government is the wel- 
fare and advancement of the Philippine people. 

Fifth. — An honest and effective civil service, in which, to the fullest 
extent practicable, natives shall be employed, is guaranteed. 
24-D 



370 GOVERNMENT FOU THE FILIPINOS. 

Sixth. — The collection and application of taxes and other revenues will 
be put upon a sound, honest and economical basis. The public funds, raised 
justly and collected honestly, will be applied only in defraying the proper 
expenses of the establishment and maintenance of the Philippine government 
and such general improvements as public interests demand. Local funds col- 
lected for local purposes, shall not be diverted to other ends. With such 
prudent and honest fiscal administration, it is believed the needs of the govern- 
ment will in a short time become compatible with a considerable reduction in 
taxation. 

Seventh. — A pure, speedy and effective administration of justice will be 
established, by which the evils of delay, corruption and exploitation will be 
effectually eradicated. 

Eighth. — The construction of roads, railroads and other means of com- 
munication and transportation and other public works of manifest advantage 
to the people will be promoted. 

Ninth. — Domestic and foreign trade and commerce and other industrial 
pursuits and the general development of the country in the interest of its 
inhabitants will be the constant objects of solicitude and fostering care. 

Tenth. — Effective provision will be made for the establishment of elemen- 
tary schools, in which the children of the people will be educated. Appro- 
priate facilities will also be provided for higher education. 

Eleventh. — Reforms in all departments of the government, and branches 
of the public service and all corporations closely touching the common life 
of the people must be undertaken without delay, and affected conformably 
with common right and justice, in a way to satisfy the well-founded demands 
and the highest sentiments and aspirations of the Philippine people. 

New Declaration of Independence. 

Speaking of the proclamation, Dr. Schurman, president of the Commis- 
sion, said : " The Filipinos have been asking unceasingly, ' What do you 
propose to do for us ? ' The proclamation answers the question, and it 
should satisfy them." 

Colonel Charles Denby, a member of the commission, remarked : *' It is 
/ithe most important proclamation since the Declaration of Independence." 
^' The invitation extended to leading representatives of the Filipinos to 
meet the Commissioners was in accordance with that provision of the Presi- 
dent's instructions authorizing them " to confer authoritatively with any 
persons resident in the islands from whom they may believe themselves able 
to derive information or suggestions valuable for the purposes of their mis- 
sion." 



GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 371 

Concerning the results of the Commission's investigation up to this time, 
and the character of its proclamation, Secretary May received at the Depart- 
ment of State in Washington a cablegram from President Schurman wiiich 
described the work of the Commission. 

Dr. Schurman said that after a month's personal observation and inter- 
views, with different classes of persons he found the insurrection had its 
origin and strength in the Tagalog provinces around Manila. The remaining 
provinces of North and South Luzon are peopled by different races, and the 
inhabitants of the rest of the archipelago are not natural allies of the Tago- 
logs, but unfriendly rivals. 

During the month while the treaty of peace was being negotiated in 
Paris the Tagalogs sent detachments of from fifty to two hundred men into 
all the other provinces to seize governments as robbers hold up trains. 
Liberty of the people was constrained and supremacy was enforced, as there 
were no American forces present to expel the Tagalogs. Dr. Schurman said 
our victories had a good effect everywhere. With the growth of a general 
feeling of security, the population would doubtless declare for the United 
States. 

" The Philippine people," said Dr. Schurman, " seem discouraged by the 
valorous, swift and irresistible movements of the American troops, against 
which their elaborate defensive works were useless." 

Review of the Situation. 

The situation at this time is accurately summed up as follows by a trav- 
eler who had excellent opportunities of learning the intentions of the insur- 
gents : 

*' I left Malabon a fortnight ago, and arrived at Polo. From there I was 
sent back by a general, being badly received. I started again the next day, 
walking, but was halted by sentries. I said, ' I passed yesterday, why not 
to-day ? "I was allowed to pass, and arrived at the railway station at Mey- 
cauayan, where I got a train to Malolos. 

" Aguinaldo guaranteed my safety along the line of the railway. I 
advised the English residents to take the steamer waiting at Sual. All the 
English are allowed to leave, but two Americans are held prisoners in Cal" 
umpit and daily undergo bad treatment. 

" The natives are arrogant and have no respect for Europeans. They 
respected Aguinaldo's pass, but spoke loudly of how spies are tortured. The 
entire population are under arms. They are forbidden to plant any crops 
except rice. There is immense enthusiasm in the Tagalog provinces. Further 
north the natives want peace. 



S72 GOVERNMENT FOR THE FILIPINOS. 

" Food and money are abundant. A large quantity of ammunition is 
being manufactured, the principal depot being at Bacolor, in the province of 
Pampanga. Every town is defended by good trenches. The coast towns are 
deserted and prepared for burning, if the Americans attempt to land. Order 
is maintained in the principal towns, but there are reports of anarchy in the 
interior. The Chinese are often murdered and robbed. 

" The Spanish prisoners are quartered in towns in the interior. There 
are large numbers at San Fernando, in the province of Pampanga. Luna, 
the Minister of War, was anti-foreign. He ordered the foreigners to take up 
arms on pain of death. Aguinaldo obliged him to retire and Pantallon Garcia 
took the office. He is more courteous. 

" The English embarked on a Sual steamer and were unmolested. The 
managers of the rice mills at Gerona and Bacambang, and Mr. Higgins, the 
manager of the railway, remained behind to protect their interests. Higgins 
has no authority. The insurgent leaders run the railway and remove the 
rails and bridges to suit their plans. Many rich Filipinos at San Fernando 
wished to escape to Hong Kong for fear that the Americans will suspect that 
they support the insurgents. 

" It is firmly believed in the provinces that the Americans have suffered 
great reverses. The insurgents are confident of the ultimate success of 
Aguinaldo." 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



Our Naval and Military Heroes Celebrated in Song. 

VERY remarkable collection of poems celebrating our victoriei* 
in the Spanish-American War is here submitted to our readers. 
The battles and victories of the war inspired many poets to describe 
the scenes of the conflict in glowing colors. Of course, the larger 
number and the loftiest of the tributes are placed upon the head of Admiral 
Dewey, but the poetical effusions took a wide range, and, being patriotic to 
the last degree, they here enrich, the pages of this volume. 

YANKEE DEWEY. 




YANKEE Dewey went to sea, 
Sailing on a cruiser, 
He took along for company, 
Of men and guns, a few, sir. 

Yankee Dewey ; Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! 

Dewey, you're a dandy ; 
With men and guns and cruisers, too. 

You're certainly quite handy. 

He sailed away to the Philippines, 
With orders for to snatch them, 

And thrash the Spaniards right and left. 
Wherever he could catch them. 

And Yankee Dewey did it, too, 

He did it so complete, sir. 
That not a blooming ship is left. 

Of all that Spanish fleet, sir. 



Oh, Yankee Dewey, you're a peach, 

A noble, gallant tar, sir ; 
You're "out of sight," you're out of 
reach. 

We hail you from afar, sir. 

We greet you with three rousing cheers. 
For you and your brave crews, sir j 

For the deeds you've done and the vic- 
tory won. 
For Yankee Doodle Doo, sir. 

Yankee Dewey, keep it up. 

You certainly are handy. 
With men and guns and cruisers, too, 

Oh, Dewey, you're a dandy. 

O. H. CoLi. 



A TOAST TO COMMODORE DEWEY. 

At a dinner given to Commodore George Dewey at the Metropolitan 
Club, Washington, November 27. 1897, just before he started for the Asiatic 
Station, the following prophetic toast was offered and received with enthusiasm. 



FILL all your glasses full to-night ; 
The wind is off the shore ; 
And be it feast or be it fight, 
We pledge the Commodore. 

Through days of storm, through days of 
calm, 
On broad Pacific Seas, 



At anchor off the Isles of Palm, 
Or with the Japanese ; 

Ashore, afloat, on deck, below. 
Or where our bull dogs roar. 

To back a friend or breast a foe 
We pledge the Commodore. 



373 



374 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



We know our honor' 11 be unstained, 

Where'er his pennant flies; 
Our rights respected and maintained, 

Whatever power defies. 

And when he takes the homeward tack, 

Beneath an admiral's flag, 
We'll hail the day that brings him back, 

And have another jag. 

FOOLISH QUESTIONS. 

I SAW a sweet young mother with 
Her first born at her breast ; 
''And what's the baby's name?" I asked 

Of her so richly blessed. 
She looked at me with pity, as 

She proudly poised her head : — 
"We call him Dewey, sir, of course," 
In tender tones she said. 

I met a dainty little girl 

Who led a kitten by a string, 
And as I stroked her head I asked : — 

"What do you call the pretty thing?" 
She looked at me with wide blue eyes, 

And, as she went her way, 
** I call my kitten Dewey, sir," 

I heard her sweetly say. 

I met a eurly headed boy 

Who had a brindle pup ; 
**And what's you're doggy's name?" I 
asked. 

As I held the creature up. 
He gazed at me in wonder, and 

He proudly cocked his head : — 
" I call him Dewey, sir, of course !" 

He pityingly said. 

I stopped beside a rustic stile, 
t And heard a milkmaid sing a song ; 
*'And what's your bossy's name?" I 
asked 

The lassie, as she came along. 
She looked at me in mild surprise, 

And, as she strode away, 
"Why, Dewey is her name, of course!" 

I heard the maiden say. 



THE HERO OF MANILA. 

DEWEY ! Dewey ! Dewey ! 
Is the hero of the day. 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way — 
The way of Hull and Perry, 

Decatur and the rest — 
When old Europe felt the clutches 

Of the Eagle of the West ; 
That's how Dewey smashed the Spaniard 

In Manila's crooked bay. 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way. 

Dewey ! Dewey ! Dewey ! 

A Vermonter wins the day ! 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way. 
By one who cared not whether 

The wind was high or low 
As he stripped his ships for battle 

And sailed forth to find the foe. 
And he found the haughty Spaniard 

In Manila's crooked bay, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way. 

Dewey ! Dewey ! Dewey ! 

He has met the Don's array, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way — 
A way of fire and carnage. 

But carnage let it be. 
When the forces of the tyrant 

Block the pathway of the free ! 
So the Spanish ships are missing 

From Manila's crooked bay, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way ! 

Dewey ! Dewey ! Dewey I 

Crown with victor wreaths of May ; 
For the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way; 
And flags that wave triumphant 

In far off tropic seas, 
With their code of symboled color 

Fling this message to the breeze : 
"We have routed all the Spaniards 

From Manila's crooked bay, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old fashioned way.'* 



/ 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



375 



McILRATH OF MALATE. 



Acting Sergeant J. A. Mcllrath, Bat- 
tery H, Third Artillery (Regulars); en- 
listed from New York ; fifteen years' ser- 
vice. 

YES, yes, my boy, there's no mistake, 
You put the contract through ! 
You lads with Shatter, I'll allow, 
Were heroes, tried and true; 

But don't forget the men who fought 

About Manila Bay, 
And don't forget brave Mcllrath 

Who died at Malat6. 

There was an act to sing about — 

An eighteen-carat deed, 
To shine beside the sister gem 

Of Switzer Winkelried ! 



Yes, I was with him, saw him- 
You want to hear it all — 

It is a braver story than 
A mighty city's fall ! 



-well, 



The night was black, save where the forks 

Of tropic lightning ran. 
When, with a long deep thunder-roar, 

The typhoon storm began. 

Then, suddenly above the din. 

We heard the steady bay 
Of volleys from the trenches where 

The Pennsylvanians lay. 

The Tenth, we thought, could hold their 
own 

Against the feigned attack, 
And, if the Spaniards dared advance. 

Would pay them doubly back. 

But soon we mark'd the volleys sink 

Into a scattcr'd fire — 
And, now we heard the Spanish gun 

Boom nigher yet and nigher! 

Then, like a ghost, a courier 
Seemed past our picket toss'd 

With wild hair streaming in his face — 
"We're lost — we're lost — we're lost" 



"Front, front— in God's name— front I" 
he cried : 

"Our ammunition's gone! " 
He turned a face of dazed dismay — 

And thro' the night sped on ! 

" Men, follow me! " cried Mcllrath, 

Our acting Sergeant then; 
And when he gave the word he knew 

He gave the word to men 1 

Twenty there— not one man more — 

But down the sunken road 
We dragged the guns of Battery H, 

Nor even stoi)ped to load ! 

Sudden, from out the darkness poured 

A storm of Mauser hail — 
But not a man there thought to pause, 

Nor any man to quail! 

Ahead, the Pennsylvanians' guns 

In scatter'd firing broke ; 
The Spanish trenches, red with flame. 

In fiercer volleys spoke ! 

Down with a rush our twenty came — 

The open field we pass'd — 
And in among the hard-press'd Tenth 

We set our feet at last! 

Up, with a leap, sprang Mcllrath, 
Mud-spatter'd worn and wet. 

And, in an instant, there he stood 
High on the parapet! 

" Steady, boys! we've got 'em now — 

Only a minute late! 
It's all right, lads — we've got 'em whipp'd. 

Just give 'em volleys straight! 

Then, up and down the parapet 

With head erect he went. 
As cool as when he sat with us 

Beside our evening tent ! " 

Not one of us, close shelter'd ther« 

Down in the trench's pen, 
But felt that he would rather die 

Than shame or grieve him then ! 

The fire, so close to being quench'd 

In panic and defeat. 
Leap'd forth, by rapid volleys sped. 

In one long deadly sheet! 



376 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



A cheer went up along the line 
As breaks the thunder-call — 

But, as it rose, great God ! we saw 
Our gallant Sergeant fall ? 

He sank into our outstretch'd arms 
Dead — but immortal groAvn ; 

And Glory brighten'd where he fell, 
And valor claim' d her own ! 

John Jerome Rooney. 

THE MISSING ONE. 

I DON'T think I'll go into town to see 
the boys come back ; 
My bein' there would do no good in all 

that jam and pack ; 
There'll be enough to welcome them — to 

cheer them when they come 
A-marchin' bravely to the time that's 

beat upon the drum — 
They'll never miss me in the crowd — not 

one of 'em will care 
If, when the cheers are ringing loud, I'm 

not among them there. 

I went to see them march away — I hol- 
lered with the rest. 

And didn't they look fine, that day, 
a-marchin' four abreast, 

With my boy James up near the front, as 
handsome as could be, 

And wavin' back a fond farewell to mother 
and to me ! 

I vow my old knees trimbled so, when 
they had all got by, 

I had to jist set down upon the curbstone 
there and cry. 

And now they're comin' home again ! 

The record that they won 
Was sich as shows we still have men, 

when men's work's to be done ! 
There wasn't one of 'em that flinched, 

each feller stood the test — 
Wherever they were sent they sailed right 

in and done their best ; 
They didn't go away to play — they knowed 

what was in store — 
But t'nere's a grave somewhere to-day, 

down on the Cuban shore. 



I guess that I'll not go to town to see the 

boys come in ; 
I don't jist feel like mixin' up in all that 

crush and din ; 
There'll be enough to welcome them— to 

cheer them when they come 
A-marchin' bravely to the time that's 

beat upon the drum, 
And the boys'll never notice — not a one 

of 'em will care. 
For the soldier that would miss me ain't 
a-goin' to be there ! 

S. E. KiSER. 



WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

COME home ! The land that sent you 
forth 
From East and West, from South and 

North, 
Looks wistfully beyond her gates. 
Extends her arms and waits — and waits ! 

At duty's call she stilled her woe ; 
She smiled, through tears, and bade you go 
To face the death you would not shun. 
Brave hearts, return ! Your task is done. 

Not as you journeyed come you back ; 
A glow is about your track 
Of deeds that vanquished tyranny 
And set a tortured people free ! 

Deeds, sprung of manhood's finest grace, 
That envious time will not efface ; 
Deeds that proclaim a nation's worth, 
And crown the land that gave them 
birth. 

America but waits to greet 
And bless you, kneeling at her feet. 
Your standards fair in honor furled, 
The proudest mother in the world ! 

Come home ! The land that sent you 

forth 
From East and West, from South and 

North, 
Looks wistfully beyond her gates. 
Extends her arms and waits ! 

Florence Earle Coaxes. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



377 



THE YANKEE DUDE'LL DO. 

WHEN Cholly swung his golf stick on 
the links, 
Or knocked the tennis ball across the net, 
With his bangs done up in cunning little 
kinks — 
When he wore the tallest collar he 
could get. 
Oh, it was the fashion then 
To impale him on the pen — 
To regard him as a being made of i)utty 
through and through ; 
But his racquet's laid away, 
He is roughing it to-day, 
And heroically proving that the Yankee 
dude'll do. 

When Algy, as some knight of old ar- 
rayed, 
Was the leading figure at the " fawncy 
ball." 
We loathed him for the silly part he 
played ; 
He was set down as a monkey — that 
was all ! 
Oh, we looked upon him then 
As unfit to class with men. 
As one whose heart was putty and whose 
brains were made of glue — 
But he's thrown his cane away, 
And he grasps a gun, to-day, 
While tlie world beholds him, knowing 
that the Yankee dude'll do. 

When Clarence cruised about upon his 
yacht. 
Or drove out with his footman through 
the park. 
His mamma, it was generally thought. 
Ought to have him in her keeping after 
dark! 
Oh, we ridiculed him then, 
We impaled him on the pen. 
We thought he was effeminate, we dubbed 
him •' Sissy." too — 
But he nobly marched away — 
He is eating pork, to-day, 
And heroicallv proving that the Yankee 
dude'll'do. 

How they hurled themselves against the 
angry foe, 



In the jungle and the trenches on the 
hill! 
When the word to charge was given, 
every dude was on the go — 
He was there to die, to capture or to 
kill! 
Oh, he struck his level, when 
Men were called upon again 
To preserve the ancient glory of the old 
red, white and blue ! 
He has thrown his spats away, 
He is wearing spurs to-day. 
And the world will please take notice 
that the Yankee dude'll do. 

S. E. KiSER. 

THE BRAVEST SAILOR OF ALL. 

1KN0W a naval officer, the bravest 
fighting man ; 
He wears a jaunty sailor suit, his cap says 

" Puritan." 
And all day long he sails a ship between 

our land and Spain, 
And he avenges, every hour, the martyrs 
of the •' Maine." 

His warship is six inches square, a wash- 
tub serves for ocean ; 

But never yet, on any coast, was seen 
such dire commotion. 

With one skilled move his boat is sent 
from Cuba to midsea. 

And just as quickly back it comes to set 
Havana free. 

He fights with Dewey ; plants his flag 

upon each island's shore. 
Then off with Sampson's fleet he goes to 

shed the Spanish gore. 
He comes to guard New England's coast, 

but ere his anchor falls. 
He hurries off" in frightful speed, to shell 

Manila's walls 

The Philippines so frequently have yielded 
to his power. 

There's very little left of them, I'm cer- 
tain at this hour ; 

And when at last he falls asleep, it is to 
wake again 

And hasten into troubled seas and go and 
conquer Spain. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 



378 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



A PEACE'BUL FAMBLY MAN, 

OH, de sun shine hot in ev'y spot 
En de young co'n wavin' green ; 
En de cotton needin' choppin' 

Des de wuss you ever seen ! 
En I ain't got time fer fightin', 

Kase de grass 'D take de Ian' ; 
En de plow en hoe is all I know — 
I a peace 'bul fambly man ! 

Go 'long wid dat musket ! 

I buil' on a diffunt plan; 
De craps mus' grow ; 
En de whole worl' know 

I a peace' bul fambly man. 

Oh, de sun shine hot in e'vy spot 

En de hot san' bu'n yo' feet ; 
En de co'n, he say : " Please plough dis 
way, 

Kase I pa'ch up wid de heat ! " 
En I ain't got time fer fightin', 

Kase de grass '11 make a stan'. 
En de plow en hoe is all I know — 

I a peace' bul fambly man ! 

Go 'long wid dat musket ! 

I buil' on a diffunt plan; 
De craps mus' grow, 
En de whole worl' know 

I a peace'bul fambly man ! 

MY SOLDIER BOY. 

WHEN night comes on, when morning 
breaks, they rise. 
Those earnest prayers by faithful lips 
oft said. 
And pierce the blue which shrouds the 
inner skies : 
" God guard my boy ; God grant he is 
not dead! " 
' ' My soldier boy — where is he camped 

to-night?" 
'^* God guard him waking, sleeping or in 
fight!" 

Far, far away where tropic suns cast down 
Their scorching rays, where sultry damp 
airs rise 
And haunting breath of sickness holds 
its own, 
A homesick boy, sore wounded, suffer- 
ing lies. 



"Mother! Mother!" is his ceaseless 

cry. 
" Come, mother, come, and see me ere I 

die!" 

Where is war's glory ? Ask the trumpet's 
blare, 
The marching columns run to bitter 
strife ; ( 

Ask of the raw recruit who knows as yet 
Naught of its horrors, naught of its loss 
of life ; 

Ask not the mother ; weeping for her son. 

She knows the heartaches following vic- 
tories won. 

CAMP CALLS. 

To the various camp bugle calls soldiers 
attach words that reflect this " soldiers', 
privilege ' ' of grumbling to the rhythm 
of the calls. The following are sample 
jingles : 

T CAN'T git 'em up ! 

1 I can't git 'em up ! 

I can't git 'em up in the morning. 

I can't git 'em up, 

I can't git 'em up, 

I can't git 'em up at all ! 

The corporal's worse than the sergeant, 

The sergeant's worse than lieutenant. 

And the captain's the worst of all ! 

* * * 

Go to the stable, 

All ye that are able, 
And give your horses some corn. 

For if you don't do it, 

The captain will know it, 

And give you the devil 
As sure as you're born ! 

* * * 

Oh, where has that cook gone. 

Cook gone. 

Cook gone. 
Where has that cook gone ? 
Where the aitch is he-e-e ! 

Twenty years till dinner time. 

Dinner time. 

Dinner time, 
Twenty years till dinner time, 
So it seems to me-e-e 1 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



379 



Come and git your quinine, 
Quinine, quinine, quinine! 
Come and git your qumine, 
And your pills ! 
* * * 

Soupy, soupy, soup — 
Without any beans ! 

An 'coffee, coffee, coffee — 
The meanest ever seen ! 

THE RED, THE WHITE AND BLUE, j 

WE are marching to the conflict 
With a courage born of power, 
And our hearts are all undaunted 

In the battle's darkest hour. 
Where the Philippines lie smiling 

in the bosom of the deep, 
Where upon Havana's fortress 

Spanish soldiers careless sleep : 
There shall ring our shout of triumph, 

There shall stand our brave and true, 
'Neath the starry flag of Freedom, 

'Neath the Red, the White and Blue. 

We are marching to the conflict, 

. And we shall not go in vain, 
With the Cuban wrong to speed us 

And our well-remembered Maine. 
By her dead of slow starvation. 

By the pangs of child and wife, 
liy a rule of devastation 

And a vain and cruel strife, 
Spain has forfeited our mercy, 

And her conduct she shall rue ; 
'Tis a valiant army gathers 

'Neath the Red, the White and Blue. 

We are marching to the conflict 

And shall soon the foeman meet ; 
But the banner floating o'er us 

Never yet has known defeat. 
Onward, then, across the waters 

That our land from theirs divide. 
Onward, then, till Yankee valor 

Tests its strength with Spanish pride ! 
Ere another month be ended 

There is noble work to do. 
And a glorious achievement 

'Nea'-h the Red, the White and Blue. 

Lalia Mitchell. 



THE FLAG GOES BY. 

HATS off"! 
Along the street there comtfs 
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 
A flash of color beneath the sky : 

Hats off" ! 
The flag is passing by ! 
Blue and crimson and white it shines 
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines. 

Hats off ! 
The colors before us fly ! 
But more than the flag is passing by, 
Sea-fights and land-fights grim and great, 
Fought to make and to save the state; 
Cheers of victory on dying lips ; 
Weary marches and sinking ships; 
Days of plenty and years of peace 
March of a strong land's swift increase; 
Equal justice, right and law. 
Stately honor and reverend awe ; 
Sign of a nation great and strong. 
To ward her people from foreign wrong; 
Pride and glory and honor, all 
Live in the colors to stand or fall. 

Hats off ! 

IRREPRESSIBLE. 

1AM the swiftest thing on earth ! 
I jump from continent to continent I 
I leap 

Across the deep. 
From Occident to Orient ! 
I never rest, 
I never stop ! 
From east to west, 
From field to shop 
I swoop — 
Now with a whoop 
Of exultation. 

Now with a tinge of perturbation ! 
Day after day 

I retain my wonderful gait! 
I never rest, I never stay — 
I am busier than Fate ! 
I am here and there, 
I am everywhere 
At the same time — 
In every land — in every clime — 
I am always busy with a big R, 
And men quit eating to consider m8— 
I am the war Rumor. 



380 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



A SONG OF THE FIGHT. 

OTHE glory and the story of the 
fight, 
The dashing of the war-steeds iii the 
strife — 
The charge, and the retreat, 
And the flag the winding-sheet 

Of faces staring starward from the strife, 

Lost to life — 
And the wailing of the mother and the 
wife ! * 

O the glory and the story of the fight ! 
The leaving for the battleground of 
Fate, 
With glory for the goal, 
Where the cannon-thunders roll, 

And kisses for the woman at the gate 

Who shall wait 
For the unreturning footsteps, long 
and late ! 

O the glory and the story of the fight ! 
Blow, bugles, o'er the flowering mea- 
dows — blow ! 
But when the fight is done — 
Wake ye each trampled one 

That sought to see the sun of glory glow ! 

Bugles blow ! 
But the dead beneath the drooped flags 
shall not know ! 

ARMY DIET. 

MY father says 'at sojers is 
The braves' mens 'at ever was; 
'At when they hears the shots go " Whiz 1 ' ' 

They don't mind it a bit, bekuz 
The whiz means 'at you ain't got hit, 
An' so they ist don't keer a bit. 

Pa says 'at sojers knows a lot, 

An' they can walk *' ist like one man." 
An' aim so well 'at every shot 

Will hit a sneakin' Spaniard, an' 
He says they have to eat " hard tacks " 
An' carry " raccoons" on their backs. 

But when I ast him why they do 
He ist busts out a-laughin', nen 

He says, "You know a thing or two, 
My son ! ' ' an' laughs an' laughs again, 

An' says, " 'At's ist the very thing — 

The sojers cats the tax, 'i jing! " 



THE YOUNGEST BOY IN BLUE. 

When the Second Naval Battalion — 
better known, perhaps, as the Brooklyn 
Naval Reserve — occupied the old Thir- 
teenth regiment armory, at Flatbush ave- 
nue and Hanson place, the boys vied with 
each other in contributing books, pic- 
tures, flags and other things that helped to 
brighten the old company rooms and 
made them presentable when graced oc- 
casionally by the fair sex. 

Pinned on the bulletin board in the 
Third division room one night, among a 
lot of warlike orders, were found the fol- 
lowing unsigned verses: 

OLD Uncle Sam has a fine, new boy, 
The youngest of all in blue ; 
He's the Naval Reserve, with lots of nerve. 

And plenty of courage, too. 
So give him a place in the family, lads, 
We've plenty for him to do. 

At sea he chaffs the sailor men. 
And joins in their daily work 

With all his might (though he'd rather 
fight), • 
For he never was built for a shirk. 

So sling his hammock up for'ard, lads. 
And teach him to use the dirk. 

On land he elbows and jostles about. 
Or marches all day in the sun. 

With a cheery smile for every mile. 
And a frolic when day is done; 

But when you get in a skirmish, men. 
He doesn't know how to run. 

Then fill your mugs to the young 'un, lads, 
Who mixes with every crew; 

On land or sea, wherever he be. 
We'll always find him true. 

And we'll give him a place in the family 
lads. 
For there's plenty for him to do. 

OF A TRUTH. 

'<nnHEY say that Dewey is a dude." 
1 "Well, if the story's true. 
What glorious deeds, when duty calls 
A Yankeedude'lldo!" 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



381 



THE STAY-AT-HOME'S RESOLVE. 

I'M going to buy a sailor suit, with Texas 
on the cap, 
And I shall be set up for life, no matter 

what may hap; 
For it is quite the fashion now to take our 

men-of-war 
And give 'em gratis everything they choose 
to ask us for. 

They ride upon the cable-cars, and don't 

pay any fare; 
They ride upon the whirling "L" as 

freely as the air; 
They go into the theatres, and get the 

finest seats 
At just the same expense as when some 

other fellow treats. 

They hie them to the cooling coast, unto 

the big hotels, 
And get the best attention from the lowly 

and the swells; 
And when they ask the landlord for his 

bill, the fellow twirls 
And says, "There's not a cent to pay; 

come out and kiss the girls ! ' ' 

I'm mighty glad that this is so: 'tis just 

as it should be. 
I rather wish, however, that these things 

would come to me. 
And, though I stayed at home while they 

plunged deep into the row, 
I'm going to buy a sailor suit, and try it 

anyhow. 

«• ARMA VIRUMQUE CANO." 

THEY are shouting the praise of the 
captains, of admirals, commodores, 
too, 
Of colonels, lieutenants and majors; with 

ensigns, cadets, not a few ; 
For these there is fame, there is glory — a 

forest of laurels — but when 
Do they honor the dauntless " high pri- 
vate ? " I sing of arms and the men ! 

Of the picket that paces the outpost, a 
target for shot and for shell, 

Uncheered by the voice of a comrade, 
alone in the wild, tangled dell; 



Of the sailor on deck in the twilight, who 
watches the bright evening star 

And knows that it shines on his < hildren, 
beyond the horizon afar. 

Of the soldier that lies in the trenches, 

scorched and chilled by the sun and 

the rain, 
Before him the bellowing cannon, around 

him the wounded and slain ; 
With gaunt finger pointed toward him, 

rides 

Death on his pale horse astride, 
At his heels the dread serpent of fever, 

with hunger and thirst at his side. 

Of the gunner whose eye is so steady ; of 
the coal-passer down in the hold; 

What they do — what they dare — what 
they suffer — oh ! sure not the half has 
been told ! 

And our Schley made his own fame the 
brighter, to shine through the centu- 
ries, when 

He cried as the city surrendered, "Let 
the officers cheer for the men ! ' ' 
Mrs. Skipwith H. Coale. 

THE LADIES OF OLD CADIZ. 

I'D lik*" lo go to Cadiz, 
Just to see those witching ladies. 
Those witching, witching ladies, where 

the orange blossoms blow; 
With their dainty cigarillas, 
And their quite too sweet mantillas — 
Oh, to Cadiz, with its ladies, I will go. 

And when our guns were booming, 

With a pity quite consuming 

I would say, " Oh. charming ladies, please 

to hustle now abroad. 
For, although we humble Cadiz, 
We don't war against the ladies. 
And the ladies of old Cadiz need not fear 

the Yankee sword." 

And with their cigarillas. 

And their all-too-cute mantillas, 

I would load up every cruiser with this 

fascinating crew ; 
.\nd so by easy stages 
I would bring these fair hostages, 
All these ladies of old Cadiz, far across 

the ocean blue. 



382 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE REG'LAR ARMY MAN. 

HE ain't no gold-laced "Belvidere," 
Ter sparkle in the sun ; 
He don't parade with gay cockade, 

And posies in his gun ; 
He ain't no " pretty soldier boy," 

So lovely, spick and span ; 
He wears a crust of tan and dust, 
The Reg'lar Army man; 

The marchin', parchin'. 
Pipe-clay starchin', 
Reg'lar Army man. 

He ain't at home in Sunday-school, 

Nor yet a social tea ; 
And on the day he gets his pay 

He's apt ter spend it free ; 
He ain't no temp'rance advocate; 

He likes ter fill the can ; 
He's kinder rough an', maybe, tough, 

The Reg'lar Army man ; 
"The rarin', tarin'. 
Sometimes swearin', 

Reg'lar Army man. 

No State' 11 call him " noble son ; " 

He ain't no ladies' pet. 
But let a row start anyhow. 

They'll send for him, you bet ! 
He don't cut any ice at all 

In fash'n's social plan ; 
He gits the job ter face a mob. 

The Reg'lar Army man ; 
The millin', drillin', 
Made for killin', 

Reg'lar Army man. 

They ain't no tears shed over him 

When he goes off ter war ; 
He gits no speech nor prayerful "preach" 

From Mayor or Governor ; 
He packs his little knapsack up 

And trots off in the van, 
Ter start the fight and start it right, 

The Reg'lar Army man; 
The ratlin', battlin', 
J Colt or Gatlin', 

Reg'lar Army man. 

He makes no fuss about the job, 

He don't talk big or brave. 
He knows he's in ter fight and win 

Or help fill up a grave ; 



He ain't no "mamma's darlin'," but 

He does the best he can ; 
And he's the chap that wins the scrap. 
The Reg'lar Army man ; 
The dandy, handy. 
Cool and sandy, 
Reg'lar Army man. 

Joe Lincoln. 

HOW A SOLDIER IS MADE. 

A CHILD is born — it gasps and cries, 
And clasps its wee fists to its eyes ; 
It stares at those who stand around, 

And sleeps a stranger unto care. 
While she that smiles o'er joys newfound, 
Prays for him ere 
He needs her prayer. 

A hundred childish ills he worries through, 
A thousand times his life hangs by a 

thread ; 
He falls, when there is nothing else to do. 
From some high perch, and strikes 

upon his head ! 
Ah, who shall say God keeps him not in 

sight ? 
Nor hears the prayers she offers up at 

night. 

Behold him bending o'er his book : 
Think of the patience and the care, 

The planning and the toil it took 
To place him there ! 

Toil and hope and despair. 

Grieving and doubting and joy; 
Days that were dark and days that were 
fair 

For those who love the boy ; 
Years that have wearily dragged. 

Years that have joyously passed, 
Hopes that have flown and griefs that 
have lagged — 

To make him a man at last. 

Hark to the summons that comes ! 
Hear the merciless roll of the drums ! 

The man for whom plans were made 

He for whom schemes were laid. 
Must brush them aside, for somewhere 

Somebody has wronged some one — 
Let the banner wave high in the air, 

There is soul-stirring work to be done ! 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



38:i 



Down through the valley and over the 
slope, 
A regiment sweeps to tlie fray ! 
What of the prayers, the toil the hope, 
And the lofty plans of yesterday ? 
An angry sliot, 
A crimson clot, 
And the smiles and tears 
Of twenty years 

End in a lump of lifeless clay. 

S. E. KiSER. 

THAT STARRY FLAG OF OURS. 

UNFURL the starry banner. 
Till with loving eyes we view 
The stars and stripes we honor 

And the folds of azure blue. 
"Tis the pride of all our nation 

And the emblem of its powers — 
The gem of all creation 

Is that starry flag of ours. 
Then raise aloft "Old Glory," 

And its colors bright surround, 
In battle fierce and gory, 

Or in peace with honor bound. 
Let it float from spire and steeple, 

And from house-tops, masts and towers, 
For the banner of the people 

Is that starry flag of ours. 
Now, behold it, bright and peerless. 

In the light of freedom's sky; 
See its colors floating, fearless 

As the eagle soaring high. 
And amid the cannon's rattle 

And the bullets' deadly showers, 
Ten million men will battle 

For that starry flag of ours. 

THE BRIDES OF DEATH. 

THERE'S a cleft in the darkling sea 
coast wall 
That hides the town like a sheltering 

pall, 
And the Morro looks down from the 

precipice crest 
At the sheltered ships on the harbor's 

breast — 
.A.t the anchored ships that idly swing, 
Flying the flag of the Spanish king. 



" Nail to the mast the yellow and red," 
The grave old Spanish Admiral said : 
And the lovely Infanta led the line, 
And the bridesmaids followed her through 

the brine — 
Followed her out of the harbor mouth 
To the fatal tryst in the open south. 

Never a bride went down the hall, 

In the maze of the dance of her marriage 

ball. 
With so fine a grace or an air so free 
As the Spanish ships stood out to sea ; 
And never the brides of God took veil. 
In the darksome depth of the convent's 

pale, 
With so lofty a mien of sacrifice 
As they bided the fling of the battle's 

dice. 

Their splendrous standards streamed on 

high 
'Gainst the turquoise blue of the tropic 

sky; 
Their polished brass work flashes flung, 
Like lustrous jewels around them strung ; 
And their boWs were veiled in the flimsy 

lace 
Of the spray comb tossed by the charging 

pace. 

But, ah ! what terrible guests are thcsCf 
Fast gliding in from the outer seas, 
Gliding along in drapery black 
That fumes and pours from the high 

smokestack? 
And, ah ! what thund'rous chimes that 

greet 
The stately advance of the- bridal fleet ? 
But is this the peal of t'lie wedding bell — ■ 
This roaring voice like the voice of hell ? 

'Tis th^ wrathsome cry of the pitiless 

Fates — 
The voice is the voice of the sister States^ 
Of the sister States of the slaughtered 

Maine, 
Crying aloud for the blood of Spain — 
Battle ship, cruiser, torpedo boat, 
That rush like dogs at the Spanish throat- 

Alas for the brides in yellow and red 
That out of the harbor so lightly sped. 



384 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



That reel and farnt <n the fearful dance 
'Mid the choKe of the smoke where the 

lightnings glahce, 
While ever mingles the thunder's roar 
With the boom of the surf on the nearing 

shore. 

They were six that steamed to the open 

sea — 
The brides and the maids so swift and 

free — 
And six are the corpses that line the 

strand, 
Prone in the pools of the tide left sand ; 
And the gathering vultures circle high 
O'er the stiffened limb and the death 

closed eye. 



T 



THE WAR SHIP DIXIE. 

HEY'VE named a cruiser " Dixie "- 



that's what the papers say — 
An' I hears they're goin' to man her with 

the boys that wore the gray ; 
Good news ! It sorter thrills me and 

makes me want ter be 
Whar' the ban' is playin' "Dixie," and 

the " Dixie " puts ter sea ! 

They've named a cruiser " Dixie." An' 

fellers, I'll be boun' 
You're goin' ter see some fightin' when 

the " Dixie " swings aroun' ! 
Ef any o' them Spanish ships shall strike 

her> East or West, 
Just let the ban' play ''Dixie," an' the 

boys '11 do the rest ! 

I want ter see that " Dixie " — I want ter 

take my stan' 
On the deck of her and holler. "Three 

cheers fer Dixie Ian' ! " 
She means we're all united — the war hurts 

healed away. 
An' ' ' Way Down South in Dixie ' ' is 

national to-day ! 

I bet you she's a good un ! I'll stake my 

last red cent 
Thar am't no better timber in the whole 

blame settlement I 



An' all their shiny battle ships beside that 

ship are tame, 
Fer when it comes to "Dixie" thar's 

something in a name ! 

Here's three cheers and a tiger — as hearty 

as kin be ; 
An' let the ban' play " Dixie " when the 

" Dixie " puts ter sea ! 
She'll make her way an' win the day from 

shinin' East ter West — 
Jest let the ban' play " Dixie," and the 

boys ' 11 do the rest ! 

Frank L. Stanton. 

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. 

SAY, Aguinaldo, 
You little measly 
Malay moke, 

What's the matter with you? 
Don't you know enough 
To know 

That when you don't see 
Freedom, 
Inalienable rights, 
The American Eagle, 
The Fourth of July, 
The Star Spangled Banner, 
And the Palladium of your Liberties, 
All you've got to do is to ask for them? 
Are you a natural born chump 
Or did you catch it from the Spaniards? 
You ain't bigger 
Than a piece of soap 
After a day's washing, 
But, by gravy, you 
Seem to think 
You're a bigger man 
Than Uncle Sam. 
You ought to be shrunk 
Young fellow ; 
And if you don't 
Demalayize yourself 
At an early date. 
And catch on 

To your golden glorious opportunities, 
Something's going to happen to you 
Like a Himalaya 
Sitting down kerswot 
On a gnat. 
If you ain't 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



385 



A yellow dog 

You'll take in your sign 

(\.nd scatter 

Some Red, White and Blue 

Disinfectant 

Over yourself. 

What you need, Aggie, 

Is civilizing. 

And goldarn 

Your yaller percoon-skin, 

We'll civilize you 

Dead or alive. 

You'd better 

Fall into the 

Procession of Progress 

And go marching on to glory, 

Before you fall 

Into a hole in the ground. 

Understand? 

That's us— 

U S. 

ADMIRAL VON DIEDERICHS. 

ACH, Admiral von Diederichs, 
I van to sbeak mit you ; 
Yust lisden fer a leedle und 

I'll tell you vot to do; 
Sail from dem Philypeanuts isles 

A thousand miles aboud — 
Fer dot Dewey man vill got you 
Uf 



you 



doan'd 



vatch 

ouid ! 

Ach, Admiral von Diederichs, 

Der Kaiser was a peach, 
I'm villing to atmit id, bud . 

Dare's udders on der beach. 
So, darefore, dot's der reason vy, 

Doan'd led your head get stoud, 
Fer dot Dewey man vill got vou 
Uf 
you 

doan'd 

vatch 

ouid ! 

Ach, Admiral von Diederichs, 
Vot pitzness haf you got 
25-D 



In loafing py Manila ven 

Der heat-vaves are so hot ? 
Vy doan'd you yust oxcoos yourself 

Und durn your shibs aboud — 
Fer dot Dewey man vill got you 
Uf 
you 

doan'd 

vatch 

ouid ! 

Ach, Admiral von Diederichs, 

Vy vill you be a clams ? 
Go ged some udder islands vich 

Are not old Uncle Sam's, 
Yust wrote to Kaiser Wilhelm, yet, 

Und dell him dare's no douid, 
Fer dot Dewey man vill got you 
Uf 
you 

doan'd 

vatch 

ouid ! 

G. V. HOBART. 

THE ARMY'S NIGHT-GUARD. 

THE soldiers lie i:)eacefiilly dreaming. 
Their tents in the rays of the clear 
Autumn moon. 
Or the light of the watch fires are 
gleaming, 
A tremulous sigh as the gentle night wind 
Thro' the forest leaves slowly is creep- 
ing, 
While the stars up above with their glit- 
tering eyes, 
Keep guard, for the army is sleeping. 

NO ANIMOSITY. 

" QAID the Sergeant to the Don, 
O After scrapping at San Juan: — 
'You're a soldier and a brother, 
Let us shake with one another; 

Here's my hardtack, take a gnaw.' 

" Said the Jacky to the Dago 
Whom he linked at Santiago: — 

' We plunked you and we sunk you, 
Now we'll feed and clothe and bunk 
you ; 
Here's my baccy, take a chaw.' " 



386 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE CAVALRY CHARGE. 

WITH bray of the trumpet 
And roll of the drum, 
And keen ring of bugles, 

The cavalry come. 
Sharp clank the steel scabbards, 

The bridle-chains ring, 
And foam from red nostrils 
The wild chargers fling. 

Tramp ! tramp ! o'er the green sward 

That quivers below, 
Scarce held by the curb-bit, 

The iierce horses go ! 
And the grim-visaged colonel, 

With ear-rending shout, 
Peals forth to the squadrons, 

The order ~" Trot out." 

One hand on the sabre. 

And one on the rein, 
The troopers move forward 

In line on the plain. 
As rings the word " Gallop ! " 

The steel scabbards clank. 
And each rowel is pressed 

To a horse's hot flank; 
And swift is their rush 

As the wild torrent's flow. 
When it pours from the crag 

On the valley below. 

*' Charge ! " thunders the leader. 

Like shaft from the bow 
Each mad horse is hurled 

On the wavering foe. 
A thousand bright sabres 

Are gleaming in air; 
A thousand dark horses 

Are dashed on the square. 

Resistless and reckless 

Of aught may betide. 
Like demons, not mortals. 

The wild troopers ride. 
Cut right ! and cut left ! 

For the parry who needs ? 
The bayonets shiver 

Like wind-shattered reeds ! 

Vain — vain the red volley 
That bursts frpm the sauare— 



The random-shot bullets 

Are wasted in air. 
Triumphant, remorseless, 

Unerring as death, — 
No sabre that's stainless 

Returns to its sheath. 

The wounds that are dealt 

By that murderous steel 
Will never yield case 

For the surgeons to heal. 
Hurrah ! they are broken — 

Hurrah ! boys, they fly — 
None linger save those 

Who but linger to die. 

Rein up your hot horses, 

And call in your men; 
The trumpet sounds "Rally 

To color " again. 
Some saddles are empty. 

Some comrades are slain, 
And some noble horses 

Lie stark on the plain ; 
But war's a chance game, boys, 

And weeping is vain. 

THE REGIMENT'S RETURN. 

HE is coming, he is coming, my true- 
love comes home to-day ; 
All the city throngs to meet him as he 

lingers by the way. 
He is coming from the battle, with his 

knapsack and his gun — 
He, a hundred times my darling, for the 
dangers he hath run. 

Twice they said that he was dead, but I 
would not believe the lie ; 

While my faithful heart kept loving him I 
knew he could not die. 

All in white will I array me, with a rose- 
bud in my hair, 

And his ring upon my finger — he shall 
see it shining there. 

He will kiss me, he will kiss me with the 

kiss of long ago ; 
He will fold his arms around me close, 

and I shall cry, I know- 
Oh the years that I have waited — rather 

lives they seemed to be— 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



387 



For the dawning of the happy day that 

brings him back to me. 
But the worthy cause has triumphed. Oh, 

joy ! the war is over. 
He is coming, he is coming, my gallant 

soldier lover. 

Men are shouting ajl. around me, women 
weep and laugh for joy, 

Wives behold again their husbands, and 
the mother clasps her boy ; 

t^ll the city throbs with passion; 'tis a 
day of jubilee ; 

But thehapi)iness of thousands brings not 
happiness to me ; 

I remember, I remember, when the sold- 
iers went away, 

There was one among the noblest who 
has not returned to-day. 

Oh, I loved him, how I loved him, and I 

never can forget 
That he kissed me as we parted, for the 

kiss is burning yet ! 
'Tis his picture in my bosom, where his 

head will never lie; 
'Tis his ring upon my finger — I will wear 

it till I die. 
Oh, his comrades say that dying he looked 

up and breathed my name; 
They have come to those that loved them, 

but my darling never came. 
Oh, they said he died a hero — but I knew 

how that would be ; 
And they say the cause has triumphed — 
' will that bring him back to me? 
E. J. Cutler. 

I WANT TO GO HOME. 

I WANT to go home wailed the privit, 
The sarg'ent an' corpril the same, 
Fer I'm sick of the cam}) an' the drillin' 

The grub an' the rest of the gaa^e; 
I'm willin' to do all the fightin' 

They'll give me in any old way, 
But me girl's all alone an' I want to go 
home, 
An' I want to go home to-day. 

Fer I've marched 'till me throat was a 
crackin', 
'Till crazed fer the sake of a drink; 



I've drilled 'till me back was a breakin', 
An' I haven't had gumption to think; 

An' I've done my whole share of policin' 
An' guard ; an' I'm tired of me lay, 

Fer me girl's all alone an' I want to go 
home, 
An' I want to go home to-day. 

Do they need us, a dyin' in camp life ? 

They say it's the water and such; 
We think it's more likely we're homesick, 

But the lite of a privit ain't much. 
An' they know we can fight if we have to, 

An' they won't have to show us the 
way, 
But me girl's all alone an' I want to go 
home. 

An' I want to go home to-day. 

THE FALLEN HERO. 

HE went to the war in the morning — 
The roll of the drums could be 
heard. 
But he paused at the gate with his mother 

For a kiss and a comforting word. 
He was full of the dreams and ambitions 

That youth is so ready to weave. 
And proud of the clank of his sabre 
And the chevrons of gold on his sleeve. 

He came from the war m the evening — 

The meadows were sprinkled with snow, 
The drums and the bugles were silent, 

And the steps of the soldier were slow. 
He was wrapj^ed in the flag of his country 

When they laid him away in the mould, 
With the glittering stars of a captain 

Replacing the chevTons of gold. 

With the heroes who slept on the hillside 

He lies with a flag at his head. 
But, blind with the years of her weeping. 

His mother yet mourns for her dead. 
The soldiers who fall in the battle 

May feel but a moment of pain. 
But the women who wait in the home- 
steads 

Must dwell with the ghosts of the slain. 

Minna Irving. 



388 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE WOUNDED SOLDIER. 

STEADY, boys, steady! Keep your 
arms ready, 
God only knows whom we may meet here. 
Don't let me betaken; I'd rather awaken 
To-morrow, in — no matter where, 
Than to lie in that foul prison-hole, over 

there. 
Step slowly! Speak lowly! The rocks 

may have life ! 
Lay me down in the hollow; we are out 

of the strife. 
By heaven I the foeman may track me in 

blood, 
For this hole in my breast is outpouring 

a flood. 
No I No surgeon for me ; he can give 

me no aid ; 
The surgeon I want is a pick-axe and 

spade, 
What, Morris, a tear? Why, shame on 

you, man ! 
I thought you a hero ; but since you began 
To whimper and cry, like a girl in her 

teens, 
By George ! I don't know what the devil 

it means. 

Well ! well ! I am rough, 'tis a very rough 
school, 

This life of a trooper — but yet I'm no fool ! 

I know a brave man, and a friend from a 
foe; 

And, boys, that you love me I certainly 
know. 

But wasn't it grand. 

When they came down the hill over 
sloughing and sand ? 

But we stood — did we not ? — like immov- 
able rock, 

Unheeding their balls and repelling their 
shock. 

Did you mind the loud cry, when, as turn- 
ing to fly. 

Our men sprang upon them, determined 
to die ? 

Oh, wasn't it grand? 

God help the poor wretches who fell in 
the fight; 

No time was there given for prayers or 
for flight. 



They fell by the score, in the crash, hand 

to hand, 
And they mmgled their blood with the 

sloughing and sand. 

Great heavens j This bullet-hole gaps like 

a grave; 
A curse on the aim of the treacherous 

knave ! 
Is there never a one of you knows how to 

pray, 
Ot speak for a man as his life ebbs away? 

Pray ! Pray I 
Our Father! Our Father! — why don't 

you proceed ? 
Can't you see I am dying? Great God, 

how I bleed ! 
Our Father in heaven — boys, tell me the 

rest. 
While I stanch the hot blood from the 

hole in my breast. 
There's something about the forgiveness 

of sin ; 
Put that in! put that in! — and then 
I'll follow your words and say an "Amen." 

Here, Morris, old fellow, get hold of my 

hand, 
And Wilson, my comrade — oh ! wasn't it 

grand 
When they came down the hill like a 

thunder-charged cloud, 
And were scattered like mist by our brave 

little crowd? — 
Where's Wilson, my comrade? Here 

stoop down your head. 
Can't you say a short prayer for the dying 

and dead ? 

"Christ-God, who died for sinners all, 
Hear Thou this suppliant wanderer's 
cry; 
Let not e'en this poor sparrow fall 
Unheeded by Thy gracious eye ; 
Throw wide Thy gates to let him in. 
And take him, pleading, to Thine 
arms ; 
Forgive, O Lord, his lifelong sin, 
And quiet all his fierce alarms," 

God bless you, my comrade, for singing 
' that hymn. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



3fO 



It is light to my path, now my sight has 
grown dim. 

I am dying ! Bend down, till I touch 
you once more ; 

Don't forget me, old fellow— God pros- 
per tliis war ! 

Confusion to enemies ! — keep hold of my 
hand — 

And float our dear flag o'er a prosperous 
land ! J. W. Watson. 

THE CAPTAIN'S WIFE. 

WE gathered roses, Blanche and I, for 
little Madge one morning; 
" Like every soldier's wife," said Blanche, 

"I dread a soldier's fate." 
Her voice a little trembled then, as under 

some forewarning 
A soldier galloped up the lane, and halted 
at the gate. 

"Which house is Malcolm Blake's?" he 
cried; "a letter for his sister!" 

And when I thanked him, Blanche in- 
quired, "But none for me, his wife?" 

The soldier played with Madge's curls, 
and stooping over, kissed her: 

"Your father was my captain, child! — I 
loved him as my life !" 

Then suddenly he galloped off and left 

the rest unspoken. 
I burst the seal, and Blanche exclaimed, 

"What makes you tremble so?" 
What answer did I dare to speak? How 

ought the news be broken? 
I could not shield her from the stroke, 

yet tried to ease the blow, 

"A battle in the swamps," I said; "our 

men were brave, but lost it." 
And pausing there, — "The note." I said, 

"is not in Malcolm's hand." 
At first a flush flamed through her face, 

and then a shadow crossed it. 
"Read cuiick, dear May ! — read all, I pray 

— and let me understand!" 

I did not read it as it stood, — but tem- 
pered so the phrases 

As not at first to hint the worst,-^held 
back the fatal word, 



And half retold his gallant charge, his 
shout, his comrades' praises — 

Till like a statue carved in stone, she 
neither spoke nor stirred ! 

Oh, never yet a woman's heart was frozen 

so completely ! 
So unbaptized with helping tears! — so 

passionless and dumb ! 
Spellbound she stood, and motionless, — 

till little Madge spoke sweetly: 
"Dear mother, is the battle done? and 

will my father come?" 

I laid my finger on her lips, and set the 

child to playing. 
Poor Blanche! the winter in her cheek 

was snowy like her name ! 
What could she do but kneel and pray, — 

and linger at her praying? 
O Christ! when other heroes die, moan 

other wives the same? 

Must other women's hearts yet break, to 

keep the Cause from failing? 
God pity our brave lovers then, who face 

the battle's blaze! 
And pity wives in widowhood ! — But it is 

unavailing ! 
O Lord! give Freedom first, then Peace! 

— and unto Thee be praise I 

TO ADMIRAL SCHLEY. 

HAIL ! Hero of our Southern battU 
seas ! 
No wreath of crumbling laurel leaves 
thy brow entwines ; 
America would mete thee more enduring 
fame, 
And in her heai^c thy name and deed 
enshrines. 

THE SOLDIER'S FAREWELL, 

HE was ready to start for the scenes of 
strife. 
Yet he shed never a tear 
As he said "good-bye" to his loving wife. 

And ki.ssed his children dear. 
But he paused to get one parting peep 

In the shed where his wheel was kept 
When he just collapsed in a sorry heap 
And wept and wept and wept. 



390 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



SOMEBODY'S DARLING. 

INTO a ward of the whitewashed halls, 
Where the dead and dying lay, 
Wounded by bayonets, shells, and balls, 
Somebody's Darling was borne one 
day — 
Somebody's Darling, so young and so 
brave, 
Wearing yet on his pale, sweet face. 
Soon to be hid by the dust of the grave, 
The lingering light of his boyhood's 
grace. 

Matted and damp are the curls of gold, 

Kissing the snow of the fair young brow 
Pale are the lips of delicate mould — 

Somebody's Darling is dying now. 
Back from his beautiful blue-veined brow, 

Brush all the wandering waves of gold : 
Cross his hands on his bosom now — 

Somebody's Darling is still and cold. 

Kiss him once for somebody's sake, 

Murmur a prayer both soft and low ; 
One bright curl from its fair mates take — 

They were somebody's pride, you know; 
Somebody's hand hath rested there — 

Was it a mother's, soft and white? 
And have the lips of a sister fair 

Been baptized in the waves of light ? 

God knows best ! he has somebody's love : 

Somebody's heart enshrined him there ; 
Somebody wafted his name above. 

Night and morn, on the wings of prayer. 
Somebody wept when he marched away, 

Looking so handsome, brave, and grand ; 
Somebody's kiss on his forehead lay, 

Somebody clung ^o his parting hand. 

Somebody's waiting and watching for 
him — 
Yearning to hold him again to her 
heart ; 
And there he lies with his blue eyes dim, 

And the smiling child-like lips apart. 
Tenderly bury the fair young dead, 

Pausing to drop on his grave a tear 
Carve in the wooden slab at his head, 
" Somebody's Darling lies sleeping 
here," 



THE COMMON SOLDIER. 

NOBODY cared, when he went to war, 
But the woman who cried on his 
shoulder ; 
Nobody decked him with immortelles; 
He was only a common soldier. 

Nobody packed in a dainty trunk 
Folded raiment and officer's fare; 

A knapsack held all the new recruit 
Might own, or love, or eat, or wear. 

Nobody gave him a good -by fete, 

With sparkling jest and flower-crowned 
wine ; 

Two or three friends on the sidewalk stood 
Watching for Jones, the fourth in line. 

Nobody cared how the battle went 

With the man who fought till the bul- 
let sped 
Through the coat undecked with leaf or 
star 
On a common soldier left for dead. 

The cool rain bathed the fevered wound, 
And the kind clouds wept the livelong 
night: 
A pitying lotion Nature gave, 

Till help might come with morning 
light- 
Such help as the knife of the surgeon 
gives, 
Cleaving the gallant arm from shoulder ; 
And another name swells the pension-list 
For the meagre pay of a common soldier. 

See, over yonder all day he stands — 
An empty sleeve in the soft wind sways. 

As he holds his lonely left hand out 
For charity at the crossing ways. 

And this is how, with bitter shame, 
He begs his bread and hardly lives j 

So wearily ekes out the sum 

A proud and grateful country gives. 

What matter how he served the guns 
When plume and sash were over yonder ? 

What matter though he bore the flag 
Through blinding smoke and battle 
thunder ? 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



391 



WOMAN ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE. 

Where hath not woman btood, 
Strong in aflection's might ? 
A reeil, uplwrne 
By an o'ermaturiug current ! 

GENTLE and lovely form, 
"What didst thou here, 
. When the fierce battle storm 
Bore down the spear ? 

Banner and shivered crest 

Beside thee strown, 
Tell that amidst the best 

Thy work was done ! 

Low lies the stately head, 

Earth bound the free : 
How gave those haughty dead 

A place to thee ? 

Slumberer ! thine early bier 
Friends should have crowned. 

Many a flower and tear 
Shedding around. 

Soft voices, dear and young, 

Mingling their swell, 
Should o'er thy dust have sung 

Earth's last farewell. 

Sisters, above the grave 

Of thy repose, 
Should have bid violets wave 

With the white rose. 

Now must the trumpet's note 

Savage and shrill, 
For requiem o'er thee float, 

Thou fair and still ! 

And the swift charger sweep, 

In full career, 
Trampling thy place of sleep — 

Why camest thou here ? 

Why ?— Ask the true heart why 

Womnn hath been 
Ever, where brave men die. 

Unshrinking seen ? 

Unto this harvest ground 

Proud reapers came. 
Some for that stirring sound, 

A warrior' name ; 



Some for the stormy play, 

And joy of strife, 
And some to fling away 

A weary life. 

But thou, pale sleeper, thou. 
With the slight frame, 

And the rich locks, whose glow 
Death cannot tame ; 

Only one thought, one power, 

Thee could have led. 
So through the tempest's hour 

To lift thy head ! 

Only the true, the strong 
The love, whose trust 

Woman's deep soul too long 
Pours on the dust. 



OUR GALLANT SONS. 

MY gallant love goes out to-day, 
With drums and bugles sounding 

gay; 
I smile to cheer him on his way — 

Smile back, my heart, to me ! 
The flags are glittering in the light; 
Is it their stars that blind my sight ? 
God, hold my tears until to-night — 

Then set their fountains free ! 

He takes with him the light of May ; 

Alas ! it seems but yesterday 

He was a bright-haired child at pb.y. 

With eyes that knew do fear ; 
Blue eyes— true eyes ! I see them shine 
Far down, along the waving line — 
Now meet them bravely, eyes of mine ! 

Good cheer, my love, good cheer ! 

Oh, mother hearts, that dare not break ! 
That feel the stress, the long, long ache, 
The tears that burn, the eyes that wake, 

For these our cherished ones — 
And ye— true hearts— not called to bear 
Such pain and peril, for your share — 
Oh, lift with me the pleading prayer, 

God save our gallant sons ! 

Marion Couthouv Smith. 



392 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



BACK FROM THE WAR. 

THE spring day was all of a flutter with 
flags; 
The mad chimes were beating like surf 
in the air ; 
The beggars had slunk out of sight with 
their rags ; 
And the balconies teemed with the rich 
and the fair. 

And below, on each side, the long vistas 
were set, 
In the framework of faces, patient and 
white — 
Wives, mothers, sweethearts, with full 
eyes wet, 
And sick hearts longing to see the sight. 

Till at length, when the evening was 
waning, there ran 
A stir through the crowd, and far-off, 
like a flame, 
The setting sun burned on the helms of 
the van. 
And with trampling of hoofs the proud 
conquerers came. 

And with every step they advanced, you 
might hear 
Women's voices half maddened with 
long-deferred joy ; 
" Thank God ! he is safe. See, my love, 
we are here, 
See ! here am I, darling ; and this is 
our boy ! ' ' 

Or, " Here am I, dearest, still faithful 
and true ; 
Your own love as of old ! " Or an 
agonized cry. 
As the loved face comes not with the 
comrades she knew, 
And the rough soldiers find not a word 
to reply. 

And pitiful hands lead her softly away, 
With a loving heart rent and broken in 
twain ; 
And the triumph sweeps onward, in gal- 
lant array — 
The life and the hope, the despair and 
the pain. 



And the long line sweeps past, and the 
dull world rolls on. 
Though the rapture is dead and the sad 
tears are dry ; 
And careless of all, till the progress be 
done, 
Life rides like a conqueror triumphing 
by. 

Lewis Morris. 



REVEILLE. 

THE morning is cheery, my boys, 
arouse ! 
The dew shines bright on the chestnut 

boughs. 
And the sleepy mist on the river lies. 
Though the east is flushing with crimson 
dyes. 
Awake! awake! awake! 
O'er field and wood and brake. 
With glories newly born. 
Comes on the blushing morn. 
Awake! awake! 

You have dreamed of your homes and 

your friends all night ; 
You have basked in your sweethearts' 

smiles so bright : 
Come, part with them all for a while 

again — 
Be lovers in dreams; when awake, be 
men. 
Turn out ! turn out ! turn out ! 

You have dreamed full long I know. 
Turn out ! turn out ! turn out ! 
The east is all aglow. 
Turn out ! turn out ! 

From every valley and hill there come 
The clamoring voices of fife and drum j 
And out on the fresh, cool morning ail 
The soldiers are swarming everywhere. 
Fall in ! fall in ! fall in ! 
Every man in his place. 
Fall in ! fall in ! fall in ! 
Each with a cheerful face. 
Fall in ! fall in ! 

I Michael O'Connor. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



393 



THE SOLDIER'S CRADLE-HYMN. 

FROM a field of death and carnage 
To the hospital was borne, 
One May morn a youthful soldier, 
With a face all white and worn. 

Day by day he pined and wasted. 

And 'twas pitiful to hear 
Through the dreary long night-watches, 
' That sad call of " Mother, dear." 

Weary sufferers, moaning, tossing, 

Turned their sad eyes towards his cot ; 

But that cry was still incessant. 
The young soldier heeded not. 

It was night ; the lights burned dimly ; 

O'r the couch his mother bent 
Lovingly ; with soft caresses 

Through his hair her fingers went 

But he tossed in wild delirium. 
From his pale lips still the cry, 

With that same sad, plaintive moaning, 
' ' Mother — come — before — I — die. ' ' 

Then in song her voice rose sweetly, 
On her breast she laid his head, 

" Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber, 
Holy angels guard thy bed. ' ' 

While she sang his moans grew fainter. 
And she watched the white lids creep 

O'er his eyes, till calm and peaceful 
In Iver arms he lay asleep. 

Dimmer burned the lights, and silence 
Reigned within the white-washed walls ; 

Bearded cheeks were wet with tear-stains, 
All forgot were cannon balls. 

Far-off scenes rose up to memory. 
Tender th> ughts — repelled so long — 

Crept into tht hearts of soldiers. 
With that soothing cradle-song. 

Morning dawned ; but in the night-time 
One tired soul had upward sped — 

" Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber. 
Holy angels guard thy bed. ' ' 

Mary McGuire. 



THE YOUNG A.MERICAN. 

SCION of a mighty stock ! 
Hands of iron — hearts of oak- 
Follow with unflinching tread 
Where the noble fathers led. 

Craft and subtle treachery, 
Gallant youth ! are not for thee ; 
Follow thou in word and deeds 
Where the God within thee leads ! 

Honesty with steady eye, 

Truth and pure simplicity, 

Love that gently winneth hearts — 

These shall be thy only arts : 

Prudent in the council train, 
Dauntless on the battle-plain. 
Ready at the country's need 
For her glorious cause to bleed I 

Where the dews of night distil 
Upon Vernon's holy hill ; 
Where above it, gleaming far. 
Freedom lights her guiding star: 

Thither turn the steady eye, 
Flashing with a purpose high ; 
Thither, with devotion meet. 
Often turn the pilgrim feet 1 

Let the noble motto be, 
God — the country — liberty ! 
Planted on religion's rock, 
Thou shalt stand in every shock. 

Laugh at danger far or near ! 
Spurn at baseness — spurn at fear ! 
Still, with persevering might, 
Speak the truth and do the right. 

So shall peace, a charming guest, 
Dove-like in thy bosom rest ; 
So shall honor's steady blaze 
Beam upon thy closing days. 

Happy if celestial favor 
Smile upon the high endeavor; 
Happy if it b'- thy call 
In the holy cause to fall. 

Alexander Hill Evirett. 



394 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



WHAT COMES AFTER. 

EMBLAZONED immortal on history's 
pages 
The names of our heroes on land and 
on sea, 
A monument that will outlast countless 
ages, 
Roll call of the glorious sons of the free ; 
Our diplomat leader in far off Manila, 
Adored of a people — in praise just and 
true ; 
The great flagship Brooklyn's cool, gallant 
commandant, 
All honor to him, to whom honor is due. 

Our general, too, from whose brow wreath'd 
in laurels, 
Petty jealousy fain would have snatched 
the fair crown ; 
And the boys of the army and boys of 
the navy — 
By disease and the guns of the Spaniards 
mowed down — 
Underfed and uncared for, yet still un- 
complaining. 
Tho' enlisted to warfare — not hunger — 
they came ; 
Oh ! shame to the black heart, by whom 
they are dying, 
Whose neglect is a blot on the nation's 
fair name. 

Forgetful of self — at the engines, hell 
tempered. 
Overpowered but staggering still to 
their post ; 
The guns knew of heroes, unhonored in 
story. 
With naught to gain, albeit risking the 
most. 
But with God rank is leveled, on man and 
commander, 
Who e'er combat ended had stemmed 
the dark flood. 
The voice of the Father fell, sweet, re- 
assuring, 
*' Enter into my rest, ye have done 
what ye could." 

Lilian H. du Bois. 



DIRGE OF THE DRUMS. 

DEAD ! Dead ! Dead, dead, dead ! 
To the solemn beat of the last retreat 
That falls like lead. 
Bear the hero now to his honored rest 
With the badge of courage upon his breast, 
While the sun sinks down in the gleaming 
West — 
Dead! Dead! Dead! 

Dead ! Dead ! Mourn the dead ? 
While the mournful notes of the bugles 
float 

Across his bed. 
And the guns shall toll on the vibrant air 
The knell of the victor lying there — 
'Tis a fitting sound for a soldier's prayer — 

Dead! Dead! Dead! 

Dead ! Dead ! Dead, dead, dead ! 
To the muffled beat of the lone retreat 

And speeding lead, 
Lay the hero low to his well-earned rest, 
In the land he loved, on her mother breast, 
While the sunlight dies in the darkening 
West- 
Dead! Dead! Dead! 

Ralph Alton. 

TAPS. 

TAPS — for the day is finished, 
And the moon, in her silvery light, 
Whips up from the low horizon 
To the star-flecked clouds of night. 

Taps — and the day's hard duty 

Is o'er, and the time for rest 
Sounds forth in its pointed cadence. 

And the blowing bugler's blest. 

Taps — their duty is ended. 

The dead lie side by side, 
"Lights out" the bugler's sounding 

As they start on their long last ride. 

Such is their journey homeward — 
To "taps" o'er the broken sod, 

To wake on the morn with souls new born 
At the "reveille" of God. 

Henry Edward Wallace, Jr. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



395 



THE MAN WITH THE MUSKET. 

SOLDIERS, i^ass on from this rage of 
renown, 
This ant-hill, commotion and strife, 
Pass by where the marbles and bronzes 
look down 
With their fast-frozen gestures of life, 
On, out to the nameless who lie 'neath the 
gloom 
Of the pitying cypress and pine ; 
Your man is the man of the sword and 
the plume, 
But the man of the musket is mine. 

I knew him ! By all that is noble, I knew 

This commonplace hero I name ! 
I've camped with him, marched with him, 
fought with him, too. 
In the swirl of the fierce battle-flame ! 
Laughed with him, cried with him, taken 
a part 
Of his canteen and blanket, and known 
That the throb of his chivalrous prairie 
boy's heart 
Was an answering stroke of my own. 

I knew him, I tell you! And, also, I knew 

When he fell on the battle-swept ridge, 
That poor -battered body that lay there in 
blue 

Was only a plank in the bridge 
Over which some should pass to a fame 

That shall shine while the high stars 
shall shine ! 
Your hero is known by an echoing name. 

But the man with the musket is mine. 

I knew him ! All through him the good 
and the bad 
Ran together and equally free ; 
But I judge as I trust Christ will judge the 
brave lad. 
For death made him noble to me ! 

In the cyclone of war, in the battle's 
eclipse 
Life shook off its lingering sands. 
And he died with the names that he loved 
on his lips. 
His musket still grasped in his hands ! 
Up close to the flag my soldier went down, 
In the salient front of the line ; 



You may take for your heroes the men of 
renown. 
But the man of the musket is mine. 

H. S. Taylor. 

IT IS GREAT FOR OUR COUNT^^V 
TO DIE. 

OH ! it is great for our country to die, 
where ranks are contending: 
Bright is the wreath of our fame ; glory 
awaits us for aye — 
Glory, that never is dim, shining on with 
light never ending — 
Glory that never shall fade, never, oh ! 
never away. 

Oh ! it is sweet for our country to die ! 
How softly reposes 
Warrior youth on his bier, wet by the 
tears of his love. 
Wet by a mother's warm tears; they crown 
him with garlands of roses, 
Weep, and then joyously turn, bright 
where he triumphs above. 

Not to the shades shall the youth descend, 
who for country hath perished ; 
Hebe awaits him in heaven, welcomes 
him there with her smile; 
There, at the banquet divine, the patriot 
spirit is cherished ; 
Gods love the young who ascend pure 
from the funeral pile. 

Not to Elysian fields, by the still, oblivious 
river ; 
Not to the isles of the blest, over the 
blue, rolling sea; 
But on Olympian heights shall dwell the 
devoted forever; 
There shall a'^semble the good, there 
the wise, valiant and free. 

Oh! then, how great for our country to 
die, in the front rank to perish. 
Firm with our breast to the foe, victory's 
shout in our ear! 
Long they our statutes shall crown, in 
songs our memory cherish; 
We shall look forth from our heaven, 
pleased the sweet music to hear. 



396 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



AT CLOSE QUARTERS. 

SHE wore a dress of navy blue, 
The collar white and blue and red; 
A striped belt — and stockings, too ; 

A sailor hat was on her head. 
Red, white and blue her chatelaine ; 

She had a flag beneath her chin, 
She wore a badge—'' U. S. S. Maine," 
A tiny cannon for a pin. 

She wore a shell-comb in her hair, 

With army buttons all embossed ; 
Some swords were also sticking there. 

And at her belt small rifles crossed. 
Her pocket-book was knapsack shape. 

Her smelling bottle a wee canteen 
Containing essence of " Crushed Grape " — 

The neatest thing I'd ever seen. 

Her face was patriotic, too, 

And full of everlasting charms ; 
Her cheeks were red, teeth white, eyes blue; 

She also had repeating arms. 
In fact, she was in "fighting trim," 

So an " engagement " I did seek ; 
And though my chance to win was slim, 

I cruised around about her cheek. 

Puff" ! Suddenly she fired at me 

A perfect fusilade of smiles ! 
It shook my heart " windward " to "lee," 

Re-echoing for miles and miles ! 
My rapid-firing lips I turned 

Upon her then (for they were loaded). 
But when the fast-sent kisses burned. 

The powder on her face exploded ! 

SONG FOR OUR FLEETS. 

A SONG for our fleets — our iron fleets, 
Of grim and savage beauty, 
That plow their way through fields of spray 

To follow a nation's duty ! 
The winds may blow and the waves may 
flow 
And stars may hide their faces, 
But little we reck, our stars o'er deck 
Still glitter within their places. 

Let never a one who gazes on 
This pageant, calm and splendid, 

Doubt that our coasts from hostile hosts 
Will gallantly be defended ! 



A desperate foe may wish us woe, 
But what is their petty knavery 

Against the right, when backed by might 
And Anglo-Saxon bravery? 

A song for our fleets — our gallant fleets, 

'Neath flags of glory flying, 
That carry the aid, so long delayed. 

To those that are crushed and dying ! 
And flames may glow, and blood may flow, 

But still, with a stern endeavor. 
We'll rule the main, and lash foul Spain 

From our western world forever ! 

Will Carleton. 

♦•PRIVATE JONES." 

1USED to boss him in the store 
And oversee his work, 
For I had charge of one whole floor 

And he was just a clerk. 
To-day it's different, if you please; 

We've changed respective pegs, 
I'm private in the ranks — and he's 
Got stripes 
Down 
His 
Legs. 

The girls, whose smiles were once for me, 

Now scarce vouchsafe a glance. 
Such great attraction can they see 

In decorated pants. 
The erstwhile clerk no longer my 

Indulgence humble begs. 
I'm down below. He's up on high. 
With stripes * 

Down 
His 
Legs. 

It's " Private Jones, do this and that." 

In haste I must bestir — 
To Jenkins, on whom oft I've sat, 

I'm told to answer "sir ! " 
One born to rule, it's come to pass 

Of woe I drink the dregs — 
I'm in the army, with, alas 1 
No stripes 
Down 
My 
ILegs. Edwin L. Sabin, 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



397 



HER PAPA. 

MY papa's all dressed up to-day ; 
He never looked so fine ; 
1 thought when first I looked at him, 
My papa wasn't mine. 

He's got a beautiful new suit — 
The old one was so old — 

It's blue, with buttons, oh, so bright 
I guess they must be gold. 

And papa's sort o' glad and sort 

O' sad — I wonder why; 
And ev'ry time she looks at him 

It makes my mamma cry. 

Who's Uncle Sam? My papa says 

That he belongs to him ; 
But papa's joking, 'cause he knows 

My uncle's name is Jim. 

My papa just belongs to me 
And mamma. And I guess 

The folks are blind who cannot see 
His buttons marked U. S. 

U. S. Spells us. He's ours — and yet 
My mamma can't help cry. 

And papa tries to smile at me 
And can't — I wonder why? 



AT THE FRONT. 

NOT the soldiers only are at the front 
to-day, 
Not alone the boys in blue who face the 
stubborn foe, 
In the tent and in the charge, and on the 
weary way. 
There are unseen sentinels who watch 
with eyes aglow. 

Mothers who have sent their sons to battle 
for the right, 
Wives and sweethearts all day long, 
whose throbbing hearts are there, 
A boat of loyal loving ones who help the 
gallaot fight 
Are beating at the throne of God with 
never-ceasing prayer. 



These may not thread the jungle, nor 
storm the frowning hill. 
They stand not in the rifle pit, they 
man no sullen gun ; 
But they are with the army, and with 
strength their i)ulses thrill, 
And theirs will be the victor's part; 
when once the strife is done. 

Standing for the old flag, standing firr* 
for God, 
Standing for humanity, they meet the 
battle's brunt. 
These women who, for heartache, scarce 
can see the path they've trod, 
Since they kissed the lads they loved so 
dear, and sent them to the front. 
Margaret E. Sangster. 

PITY FOR THE SLAIN. 

WE have wreathed all our heroes on 
land and on sea. 
And have lauded their valor from "A" 

unto "Z," 
Let us turn from the flood of their glories 
to see 
Where the ebb and the cross-current 
runs. 
To the fever-cursed peasants in transport 

and pen, 
To the shark-mangled fragments that once 

were called men, 
To the targets for Gatlings and Crag- 
Jorgensen, 
To the men who're in front of our 
guns. 

There are vine-wreathed homes on the 
hillsides of Spain, 

Where their children will watch for their 
coming in vain, 

And we turn from our slogan, " Remem- 
ber the 'Maine! ' " 
To remember their wives and their sons. 

Let us give all our glories to whom it is 
due. 

To our heroes who fought under Red, 
White and Blue. 

But a tear drop in pity ; humanity's due 
to the men who're in front of our guns. 



398 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



ONE SOLDIER DEAD. 

A FAIR young mother calmly read 
While one hand rocked the cradle 
bed 
Whereon her first-born slept away 
The twilight of a summer day. 
She carelessly the paper turned 
Till " Latest War News " she discerned : 
*' Our loss was small," the dispatches 

said — 
** A skirmish, and one soldier dead." 

They troubled not to give his name. 
Or e'en the troop from which he came; 
For who, rejoicing in success, 
Cares if there be one private less ? 
Only a soldier lying there. 
With blood upon his sunny hair, 
With no kind friend to raise his head, 
Or treasure the last words he said. 

O, happy mother, do you know 
That not so many years ago 
That soldier was a baby, too^ 
With face as sweet and eyes as blue 
As those within yon cradle there ! 
And knew a mother's tender care, 
Who now must sit alone and weep 
Because he wakes not from his sleep. 

And other thousands also said : — 
" Only a private soldier dead," 
Without a passing thought that he 
Might one of nature's nobles be. 
Or that the words that line contained 
Would wreck a life that yet remained. 
His mother waits for him in vain. 
For he, her only child, is slain. 

Jean Paul Wayne. 

JIM. 

BEFORE he 'listed folks 'd laugh 
At Jim, 
An' sort o' pass a joke 'n' chaff 

At him; 
An* say 'at Jim was tarnal queer, 
An' vow he wuzn't right up here. 
An' sort o' laugh an' kind o' sneer 
At him ! 



But when they'd seen thet uniform 

On Jim, 
Why, hearts got somehow kind o' warm 

To him; 
An' folks jes' stood along th' route 
T' see Jim's regiment turn out. 
An' mebbe they didn't cheer 'n' shout 

Fer him ! 

An' then when news arriv' one day 

O' Jim, 
Why, everybody said " Hoo-ray !" 

Fer him. 
Fer Jim was right bang in th' fight. 
An' knockin' Spaniards left 'n' right. 
An' folks got thinkin' thet ther' night 

'Bout Jim. 

An' when a-marchin' home he come — 

Our Jim ! — 
Mebbe folks didn't make things hum 

Fer him ! 
They took Jim up 'n' made him mayor. 
An' run him fer th' gov'nor's chair, 
An' when Congress meets, why, Jim'il 
be there — 

Our Jim ! 

SHE DOETH WHAT SHE CaN. 

SHE sits alone in the window seat, 
Watching the soldiers who throng 
the street. 
A tear clings fast to her gentle eye, 
Her bosom heaves with a sudden sigh. 
And her slender fingers that clutch the 

sill 
Wave a proud adieu with a royal will. 
But her mouth in its motion never slacks 
O'er the gum she cheweth to pay the tax. 

There are women who go to the battle 

front, 
Women in hospitals bearing the brunt. 
Women who serve 'neath the Red Cross 

sign, 
Women whose mission seems half divine. 
But Annabel sits at the window high ; 
She cannot go where the bullets fly, 
But steadily onward through packs and 

packs 
She cheweth the gum to pay the tax. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



399 



THE BANNER BETSEY MADE. 

The first American flag, including the 
thirteen stars and stripes, was made by 
Mrs. Betsey Ross, a Quaker lady of Phil- 
adelphia. 

WE have nicknamed it " Old Glory" 
As it floats upon the breeze, 
Rich in legend, song and story 
On the land and on the seas ; 
Far above the shining river. 

Over mountain, glen and glade 
With a lame that lives forever 
Streams the banner Betsey made. 

Once it went from her, its maker, 

To the glory of the wars, 
Once the modest little Quaker 

Deftly studded it with stars ; 
And her fingers, swiftly flying 

Through the sunshine and the shade. 
Welded colors bright, undying. 

In the banner Betsey made. 

When at last her needle rested 

And her cherished work was done 
Went the banner, love invested, 

To the camps of Washington ; 
And the glorious continentals 

In the morning light arrayed 
Stood in ragged regimentals 

'Neath the banner Betsey made. 

How they cheered it and its maker. 

They the gallant sons of Mars, 
How they blessed the little Quaker 

And her flag of stripes and stars ; 
'Neath its folds, the foemen scorning, 

Glinted bayonets and blade, 
And the breezes of the morning 

Kissed the banner Betsey made. 

L Years have passed, but still in glory 

With a pride we love to see, 
Laureled with a nation's glory 

Waves the emblem of the free ; 
From the rugged pines of Northland 

To the deep'ning everglade. 
In the sunny heart of Southland 

Floats the banner Betsey made. 



A protector all have found it 

And beneath it stands no slave, 
Freemen brave have died around it 

On the land and on the wave ; 
In the foremost Iroi-L ol battle 

Borne by heroes not afraid, 
'Mid the musket's doomed rattle, 

Soared the banner Betsey made. 

Now she sleeps Avhose fingers flying 

With a heart to freedom true 
Mingled colors bright, undying — 

Fashioned stars and field of blue ; 
It will lack for no defenders 

When the nation's foes invade, 
For our country rose to splendor 

'Neath the banner Betsey made. 

T. C. Harbaugh. 

LOST HIS CHARM. 

WHEN first he came back from camp, 
She coddled and kissed and hugged 
him. 
And though he looked like a tramp. 
All over the town she lugged him. 
But now that he's spruced up and shaved. 

And shook those togs of yellow. 
She regrets the way that she raved. 
And she's got another fellow ! 

MARY DEAR IN NINETY-EIGHT. 

" f~\ Mary, dear, O Mary, sweet! 

y~-y Down at your little fairy feet — 
Nay, lassie, do not scornful start — 
I lay my fortunes and ray heart. 

" If you will be my own, own wife, 
A dream of ease will be your life. 
And all that love and gold can do, 

Mary, dear, I'll do for you." 

" I scorn your heart, I scorn your gold 

1 have a sweetheart brave and bold, 
One of a battleship's brave crew. 
My sailor sweetheart tried and true. 

" He has no gold, but strong and leal, 
He fearlessly guards his country's weal, 
.And as he loves his country so. 
He'll love his own. own wife, I know." 
M. Phelps Dawson. 



400 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED. 

A IS for Admiral, impassionate, cold, 
Who waits for instructions, and does 
as he's told. 
B stands for Brooklyn^ commanded by 
Schley; 
The hottest of liners he takes on the fly. 
C is for Cuba, a tignt little isle ; 

To get which we may have to fight quite 
a while. 
D is — yes, Dewey, a teacher of Spanish ; 
The first lesson caused all his pupils to 
vanish. 
E stands for Evans, who's never so happy 
As when there's a chance to get in 
something ''scrappy." 
F is for Freedom, which means a great deal 
When your neck has been under a vile 
Spanish heel. 
G is for Germany, whose rude employees 
Should learn better manners ; be taught 
to say please. 
H stands for Heroes, on land and on sea, ^ 
Who laid down their lives for their 
friends' liberty. 
I's for Insurgents, who holler for aid ; 
Then eat up the rations and loaf in the 
shade. 
J is for Jones, Davy Jones, if you will, 
Whose lockers we've twice had occasion 
to fill. 
K stands for King, the young King of 
Spain, 
Who's been led to regret what hap- 
pened the Maine 
L is for Long, who has great common- 
sense, 
And in whom the people place all con- 
fidence. 
M's for McKinley, we welcome the fact . 
That he's handling this matter with 
very great tact. 
N is for Nelson, Nelson A. Miles, 

On whom we depend to o'ercome Span- 
ish wiles. 
O's the Oquendo, a powerful cruiser ; 
But on a long pig-hunt they managed 
to lose her. 
P's Porto Rico , the place had some forts, 
But, no doubt, ere this they've been 
knocked out of sorts, 



Q is for Queen, most jnhappy of ^.adies, 
Who fears, perhaps rightly, our visit to 
Cadiz. 
R's for Reporters; they're well to thf 
fore, 
But they mustn't imagine they're run- 
ning this war. 
S is for Shafter, a man of great girth, , 
In spite of which fact he is proving his 
worth. 
T stands for Toral, whose acted campaign 
Was played for the gallery over in 
Spain. 
U is for Union, the only cement 

To strengthen a State and disruptions 
prevent. 
V's for Vizcaya ; she made a great show, 
But proving a nuisance, we sent her 
below. 
W is for Wainwright, whose motto must 
be 
" The greater the odds, the better for 
me. 
X is the cross that is put against Spain, 
And means that she's out of the Blue 
Book agam. 
Y's for the youngsters that sneaked to the 
front. 
And gave their poor mammas no end 
of a hunt. 
Z's for the zeal that has hall-marked this 
. fight; 
This quality wins when stamped upon 
right. A. C. Needham. 

THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY. 

AT break of dawn Manila Bay 
A sheet of limpid water lay, 
Extending twenty miles away. 

Twenty miles from shore to shore. 
As creeping on a squadron bore 
As squadron never moved before. 

Majestic in its hidden might, 
It passed Corregidor at night, 
Inspired to battle for the right. 

And grandly on the Flagship led, 
Six ships — Olympia e'er ahead — 
With battle flags at each ma.sthead. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



401 



The Baltimore and Raleigh true, 
The Petrel, Boston, Concord, too, 
Their flags of glory proudly flew. 

As early daylight broke upon 
The bay — before the rise of sun— 7 
Was seen the flash of opening gun ! 

Then every second heard the roar 
Of shell and shrapnel bursting o'er 
Our brave, undaunted Commodore ! 

" Hold our fire ! " he calmly said. 
As from the bridge he bravely led 
To death or glory on ahead ! 

And from his lips or from his hand 
But one direction, one command, 
" Follow the Flagship by the land." 

Full twenty minutes slowly crept 
Ere lightning from our turrets leapt, 
And pent-up hell no longer slept ! 

The Spanish fleet, a dozen strong. 
Was now in range, and haughty wrong 
Was swept by awful fire along. 

Explosions wild destruction brought 
'Mid flames that mighty havoc wrought, 
As either side in fury fought. 

So back and forth in angry might. 
The Stars and Stripes waved on the 

fight, 
'Mid bursting shells in deadly flight! 

The Spanish decks with dead were 

strewn, 
Their guns on shore were silenced soon, 
Their flags were down ere flush of noon. 

Their ships, their batteries on the shore 
Were gone to fight again no more — 
Their loss, a thousand men or more ! 

Dawned on the fleet that Dewev led 
A miracle, while Spaniards bled ; 
For on our side was not one dead ! 

The battle of Manila Bay 
From mind shall never pass away — 
Nor deeds of glory wrought that day ; 
26 -D 



For 'mid that battle's awful roar 
The Spanish pride, to rise no more, 
Was humbled by our Commodore. 
CoRwiN P. Ross. 

THE POET SOLDIER. 

HE wrote good poems all his life, 
And after twenty years of strife 
His name was simply Amos. 
He went to war and killed a Don, 
And now he's got brass buttons on, 
And now his name is famous. 



HARDSHIPS OF WAR. 

AT Santiago he had lumbago. 
At Tampa the fever and chills; 
Before El Caney the weather was ramy, 

And there he had other ills. 
He reached Camp Alger and got neuralgia, 

And at Montauk the fever yellow, 
But at home was the blow that laid him 
low. 
His girl had another fellow. 



CLIPS AND COMMENTS. 

IT is but a Spanish custom ; 
It was not the youngster's fault 
That he never had the training 

Which would help him earn his salt. 
And he couldn't raise a protest 

When to christen him they came, 
And they solemnly afflicted 

The i^oor infant with the name, 

"Alfonso XIII, Leon Ferdinand Maria 

James Isidore Pascal Antonio." 

And it's not at all surprising 

That in business of state, 
And in military matters 

All his ]>eople come too late. 
For it's likely to occasion 

.^n embarrassing delay 
When they rally up their cohorts, 

And they stop to shout " Hooray 
For .Alfonso XJII, Leon Ferdinand 
Maria 

James Isidore Pascal Antonio 1" 



402 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE HERO DOWN BELOW. 

IN the awful heat and torture 
Of the fires that leap and dance 
In and out the furnace doors that never 
close, 
On in silence he must work, 
For with him there's ne'er a chance 
On his brow to feel the outer breeze that 
blows. 

For they've locked him in a room, 

Down below, 
In a burning, blazing tomb, 

Down below. 

Where he cannot see the sky, 
Cannot learn in time to fly, 
When destruction stalketh nigh, 
Down below. 

Though his name is never mentioned. 
Though we see or know him not. 

Though his deeds may never bring him 
worldly fame. 
He's a man above the others — 
And the bravest of the lot — 

A.nd the hero of the battle, just the same. 

He's the man who does the work, 

Down below, 
From the labor does not shirk, 

Down below, 
He is shoveling day and night. 
Feeding flames a-blazing bright, 
Keeping up a killing fight, 

Down below. 

MISTER SOJER MAN. 

I AIN'T got time ter fool wid you. 
Mister Sojer Man ; 
Never did look good in blue. 

Mister Sojer Man. 
'Sides dat, I got my wuk ter do — 
Feed myse'f eu fambly, too; 
Ain't got time ter fool wid you, 
Mister Sojer man ! 

Go 'long now en fight yo' fight, 

Mister Sojer Man ; 
Fling dem bombshells lef ' en right, 

Mister Sojer Man. 
Got ter hoe dat cotton white. 
Keep dat nutgrass out er sight ; 
Go 'long now, en fight yo' fight, 

Mister Sojer man ! 



THE EIGHT YANKEE SEAMEN. 

WE have read of the noble six hundred 
Who rode to the gate of hell ; 
How cannon roared right and left of them, 
And many a noble man fell. 

They were ordered, and each did his duty; 

A soldier must always obey — 
But the volunteer eight Yr.nkee seamen 

Have eclipsed the six hundred to-day. 

There was death both below and abovp 
them. 
Torpedoes and bullets and shell ; 
They steamed from our fleet in the midst 
of it. 
And their comrades wished them fare- 
well. 

God guarded these kings of the ocean, 
He honored the brave and the true ; 

The nation salutes to their honor ; 
The enemy honored them, too. 

Edward G. Draper. 

PEACE. 

THE work is wrought ; the cannon's roar 
On sea or land is heard no more; 
The battle's rage and tumult cease 
In songs of victory and peace. 

The Heaven-appointed task is done; 
The cause for which we fought is won; 
And Cuba Libre, fairest gem. 
Is set in Freedom's diadem. 

The islands of the sea rejoice ; 
The floods lift up their mighty voice ; 
From shore to shore the anthems rise— 
A nation's grateful sacrifice. 

Manila's waters, blue and broad. 
Reflect the righteousness of God; 
And Santiago's wreck-strewn shore 
Resounds His praise forevermore. 

Long as the stars shall shine o'erhead, 
In deathless fame shall live the dead,— 
Their country's glory and renown 
Their fadeless, everlasting crown. 

The morning breaks ! the shadows flee ! 
Christ's kingdom comes on land and sea; 
The rule of love, the reign of good — 
The whole round world one brotherhood. 
Benjamin Copeland. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



403 



OUR AMERICAN WOMEN. 

THE maid who binds her warrior's 
sash 
With smi\e that well her pain dissem- 
bles, 
The while beneath her drooping lash 
One starry tear-drop hangs and trem- 
bles, 
I'hough Heaven alone records the tear, 
And Fame shall never know her story. 
Her heart has shed a drop as dear 
As e'er bedewed the field of glory! 

The wife wlio girds her husband's sword, 

Mid little ones who weep or wonder, 
And bravely speaks the cheering word, 

What though her heart be rent asunder. 
Doomed nightly in her dreams to hear 

The bolts of death around him rattle, 
Hath shed as sacred blood as e'er 

Was poured upon the field of battle ! 

The mother who conceals her grief 

While to her breast her sons he presses, 
Then breathes a few brave words and 
brief, 

Kissing the patriot brow she blesses. 
With no one but her secret God 

To know the pain that weighs upon 
her, 
Sheds holy blood as e'er the sod 

Received on Freedom's field of honor ! 

Thomas Buchanan Read, 



MARCH OF THE DEAD BRIGADE. 

NO sound disturbs the drowsy dawn, 
As forms the dead brigade ; 
Its silent ranks, in serried lines. 
Glide onward toward the springing pines. 
All phantoms in parade. 

Their steps bend not the drooping corn. 
These warriors all are ghosts. 

In rank and file, with solemn tread. 

Their captains marching at the head, 
Move on these silent hosts. 

From out the tented camp of death, 
Their flag of peace displayed, 



With footfall soft as dew at mom, 
These cohorts sweep the bending corn, 
Where battle once was laid. 

The mark of God's eternal peace 

Their countenances bear ; 
And freed from all unholy hate, 
They shine with that exalted state 

Which heaven's angels share. 

Thomas S. Denison. 

THE MAN WHO COOKS THE GRUB. 

WE have read in song and story 
Of " the man behind the gun," 
He is given all the glory 

Of the battles that are won ; 
They are filling up the paoers 

With his apotheosis, 
And they tell about his capers 

While the shells al)Ove him hiss. 
But behind the grimy gunner. 

Steadfast through the wild hubbub. 
Stands a greater god of battles — 

'Tis the man who cooks the grub. 

When the sky is rent with thunder 

And the shell screams through the air 
When some fort is rent asunder 

And Destruction revels there. 
When the men in line go rushing 

On to glory or to woe 
With the maddened charges crushing 

Heroes who arc lying low. 
There is one but for whose labors 

There could be no wild hubbub, 
And the greatest god of battles 

Is the man who cooks the grub. 

What of ships with armor plating? 

What of castles on the heights? 
What of anxious captains waiting 

While the carefiil gunner sights? 
What of all the long-range rifles? 

What of men with valiant hearts? 
These were but impotent trifles. 

But inconsequential parts 
Of the whole, without the fellow 

Who must scour, scrape and scrub— 
For the greatest god of battles 

Is the man who cooks the grub. 



404 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



IN MANILA BAY. 

ON the broad Manila Bay 
The Spanish cruisers lay, 
In the shelter of their forts upon the 
shore ; 
And they dared their foes to sail 
Thro' the crashing iron hail 
Which the guns from decks and battle- 
ments would pour. 

All the harbor ways were mined, 
And along the channel blind 

Slept the wild torpedoes, dreaming 
dreams of wrath. 
Yea ! the fiery hates of hell 
Lay beneath the ocean's swell, 

Like a thousand demons ambushed in 
the path. 

Breasting fierce Pacific gales, 
Lo ! a little squadron sails. 

And the Stars and Stripes are floating 
from its spars. 
It is friendless and alone. 
Aids and allies it has none. 

But a dauntless chorus sing its daunt- 
less tars : 

** We're ten thousand miles from home ; 
Ocean's wastes and wave and foam 



Shut us from the land we love so 
away. 



far 



m 



We have ne'er a friendly port 
For retreat as last resort, 

But we'll beard the ships of Spain 
their own bay. 

** They have mines beneath the sea, 
They have forts upon their lee, 

They have everything to aid them in 

the fray ; 
But we'll brave their hidden mines, 
And we'll face their blazing lines; 
Yes! We'll beard the ships of Spain in 

their own bay. 

" If we're worsted in the fight, 

We shall perish m the right — 

No hand will wipe the dews of death away. 

The wounded none will tend. 

For we've not a single friend ; 

But we'll beard the ships of Spain in 
their own bay. 



"No ironclads we sail, 
Only cruisers light and frail. 

With no armor plates to turn the shells 
away. 
All the battleships now steer 
In another hemisphere, 

But we'll beard the ships of Spain h 
their own bay. 

" Ho ! Remember now the Maine ! 
Up ! And smite the ships of Spain ! 

Let them not forget for years this first 
of May ! 
Though hell blaze up from beneath. 
Forward through the cannon's breath. 

When Dewey leads into Manila Bay.'* 

There, half-way round the world, 
Swift and straight the shots were hurled. 
And a handful of bold sailors won the 
day. 
Never since earth was begun 
Has a braver deed been done 

Than when Dewey sailed into Manila 
Bay. 

God made for him a path 
Thro' the mad torpedoes' wrath, 

From their slumbers never wakened 
into play. 
When dawn smote the east with gold, 
Spaniards started to behold 

Dewey and his gallant fleet within 
their bay. 

Then from forts and warships first 
Iron maledictions burst, 

And the guns with tongues of flame 
began to pray ; 
Like demons out of hell 
The batteries roar and yell, 

While Dewey answers back across the 
bay. 

O Gods ! it was a sight. 

Till the smoke, as black as night. 

Hid the fire-belching ships from light 
of day. 
V/hen it lifted from the tide, 
Smitten low was Spanish pride, 

And Dewey Tias the master of their bay. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



405 



Where the awful conflict roared, 
And red blood in torrents poured, 

There the Stars and Stripes are waving 
high to day. 
Dewey ! Hero strong and grand ! 
Shout his name thro' every land ! 

For he sunk the ships of Spain in their 
own bay. , 

Charles Wadsworth, Jr. 

THE CHINAMAN IN THE NAVY. 

ME be with Dewey on the shippee, 
Me Dewey all me can ; 
Sle yell like hellee, ki, yi hippee, 

Me fight like Melican man. 
Me no like Dutch, he too much flippee, 

Him all the same big ham; 
Me no like Spanish, too much lippee, 
Me like Melican man. 

• 

Me no afraid of shellee hittee, 

Me shoottee all me can ; 
Me helpee capture Spanish cittee. 

Me fight like Melican man. 
Me kiliee Spanish ; me no pittee, 

Me donttee give a dlarnn ; 
Me drinkee, smokee, chewee, spittee, 

Me be like Melican man. 

Dewey likee us velly muchee, 

Cause Chinee, he no nm ; 
But Dewey, he no likee Dutchee, 

They gettee near his gun. 
Me fightee allee same for Dewey, 

Me habee plcntee fun ; 
Me drinkee. smokee, cursee, chewee. 

Me fight like son-of-agun. 

THE SOUTH AND THE FLAG. 

UP with the banner of the free ! 
Its stars and stripes unfurl. 
And let the battle beauty blaze 

Above a startled world. 
No more around its towering staff 

The folds shall twine again, 
Till falls beneath its righteous wrath 
The gonfalon of Spain. 

That flag with constellated stars 
Shines ever in the van ! 



And, like the rainbow in the stoma, 

Presages peace to man. 
For still amid the cannon's roar 

It sanctifies the fight, 
And flames along the battle lines, 

The emblem of the Right. 

It seeks no conquest — knows no fear ; 

Cares not for pomp or state ; 
As pliant as the atmosphere. 

As resolute as Fate. 
Where'er it floats, on land or sea, 

No stain its honor mars, 
And Freedom smiles, her fate secure, 

Beneath its steadfast stars. 

H. L. Flash. 

GUARD THE RED CROSS. 

GOD guard the cross, the glowing, 
blood-red cross. 
That emblem dear of care, and Chris- 
tian love 
For suffering ones; yet many a cruel loss 
Lies 'neath it, tho' our flag waves 
proud above. 
Fond aching hearts are seared sore and 
deep 
For those whose lives are peril'd for its 
sake 
'Neath torrid skies; and helpless women 

weep 
And, trembling, raise their prayers from 
hearts that break. 

God guard the cross, protect the brave 
and true. 
Who wear it in their hearts or on the 
sleeve. 
Oh, send Thine angels, guard each name- 
less grave, 
And dwell within the hearts of those 
who grieve 
So hasten righteous ends on land and sea, 
That peace — whose sleeve shall bear 
the cross of red — 
Shall end this strife, and we united be 
With those who foUow'tJ, where the red 
cross led. 

Harriett A. Rockwell- White. 



406 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



REFLECTED GLORY. 

SHE used to smile upon me. 
But she doesn't any more; 
She holds her head much higher 

Than she ever did before ; 
She regards me as a being 

Of a lower sphere to-day, 
For her cousin fought with Dewey 
When he took Manila Bay. 

She used to sit and listen 

To the thrilling tales I told : 
She used to look upon me 

As among the brave and bold ; 
But I've ceased to interest her, 

She looks down on me to day, 
For her cousin was with Dewey 

When he took Manila Bay 

Oh, I wish her valiant cousin 

Were in Van Dieman's Land, 
And that I had been with Dewey 

To pitch in and take a hand ! 
Ah, her manner's cold and distant. 

And her glances seem to say : 
* ' You were not out there with Dewey 

When he took Manila Bay ! " 

MY SOLDIER BOY. 

WHEN night comes on, when morn- 
ing breaks, they rise — 
Those earnest prayers, by faithful lips 
oft said. 
And pierce the blue which shrouds the 
inner skies, 
" God guard my boy ; God grant he is 
not dead." 
*' My soldier boy — where is he camped 
to-night?" 
"God guard him waking, sleeping, or 
in fight." 

Far, far away where tropic suns cast down 
Their scorching rays, where sultry 
damp airs rise 
And haunting breath of sickness holds its 
own, 
A homesick boy, sore, wounded, suf- 
fering lies : 
" Mother ! mother ! " is his ceaseless cry, 
** Come, mother, come^ and see me 
'ere I die!" 



Where is war's glory ? Ask the trumpet's 
blare — 
The strife-marching columns run to 
bitter 
Ask of the raw recruit who knows as yet 
Naught of its horrors, naught of its loss 
of life ; 
Ask not the mother, weeping for her son :f 
She knows the heartaches follow ing- 
victories won. 

FiDELE H. Holland. 

THE NEW ALABAMA. 

THAR'S a bran new " Alabama " that 
they're fittin' out for sea, 
An' them that's seen her tell me she's as 

lively as kin be ; 
An' them big Havana gin'ruls better 

open wide their gates 
Ef she's any like her namesake of the old 
Confed'rit States ! 

A bran' new "Alabama ! " She orter be 

the best 
That ever plowed a furrow in the ocean — 

east or west ! 
An' I'm shore that she'll be heard from — 

jest open wide your gates 
Ef she's any like her namesake of the old 

Confed'rit States ! 

I bet she's full o' sperrit ! I bet her guns'U 

keep 
The Spanish cruisers hiintin' fer a harbor 

on the deep ! 
She'll storm ^he forts an' take 'em — 

she'll batter down the gates 
Ef she's any like her namesake of the old 

Confed'rit States ! 

THE SONG OF DEWEY'S GUNS. 

WHAT is this thunder music from the 
other side of the world. 
That pulses through the severing seas 
and round th; planet runs? 
'Tis the death song of old Spain floating 
from the Asian main ; 
There's a tale of crumbling empire in 
the song of Dewey's guns ! 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



407 



The hand that held the sceptre once of 
all the great world seas, 
And paved the march with dead men's 
bones 'neath all the circling suns, 
Grew faint with deadly lear when that 
thunder song grew near, 
For the dirge of Spain was sounded by 
the song of Dewey's guns ! 

There is music in a cannon, yet, for all 
Sons of Peace — 
Yes, the jiorthole's belching anthem is 
soft music to her sons 
When the iron thunder song sings the 
death of ancient wrong — 
And a dying wrong was chanted by the 
song of Dewey's guns. 

Sam Walter Foss. 

UNITED STATES NAVY'S CAPTURES. 

THE Spaniard may sneer or wax wroth 
as he will ; 
Your Uncle Sam cares not a jot. 
But when something practical calls for 
his skill, 
His cannon are there, on the spot. 
For fierce counter-phases slight headway 
can make 
'Gainst professional knaves and their 
tools ; 
The way to awake their remorse is to 
take 
Their lumber, provisions and mules. 

The poet who sang about " arms and the 
man," 
And " Mars " in his old epic lay. 
Would find some new topics, if he were 
to scan 
The scene of an up-to-date fray. 
He still might describe how men clash 
and disperse 
In wrath which defeat never cools ; 
But he'd tack on a verse the renown to 
rehearse 
Of lumber, provisions and mules. 

THE BLACK REGIMENTS. 

DE cullud troops, dey marchin' — 
De regiments gwine pas' ; 
*' En whar diddeGuv'ment sen' you?" 
*' We gwinc ter de Tortu-gas ! " 



Oh, my wife en chillin' ! 

Make way en lemme pass ! 
De Guv'ment sen' me fur frum home! 

I gwine ter de Tortu-gas ! 

De cullud troops, dey marchin' — 
Dey trompin' down de grass ; 

" En whar is de Guv'ment sen' you ? " 
" We gwine ter de Tortu-gas ! " 

Oh, my wife en chillin' ! 

Make way en lemme pass ! 
De Guv'ment sen' me fur frum home — 

I gAvine ter de Tortu-gas. 



NEGLECTED WIFE. 

SHE. 

YOU used to kiss me fondly 
When you came to tea ; 
But now you read your paper. 
And hardly notice me ; 

You used to say you loved me, 
You praised my eyes and hair ; 

But now you never tell me 
That I am sweet or fair; 

You used to take me strolling, 
At dusk, beneath the trees. 

And often, after dinner, 

You held me on your knees ; 

You used to be so tender, 
So thoughtful and so true. 

And you were interested 
In all I had to do : 

But now you never listen 

To what I have to say; 
The love I had is only 

A memory, to-day. 

HE. 

Ah, foolish girl ! 'Tis yours, 
The love you're sighing for — 

But there — keep still — I'm anxious 
To read about the war. 



408 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



A POEM WITH A MORAL. 

FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF GUARDSMEN 
WHO DO NOT LIKE "MARTINETS." 

THE 'eathen in 'is blindness bows down 
to wood and stone ; 
'E don't obey no orders unless they is 'is 

own ; 
'E keeps 'is siiearms awful; 'e leaves 'em 

all about, 
An' then comes up the regiment an' 
pokes the 'eathen out. 

The young recruit is 'aughty — 'e drops 

from Gawd knows where ; 
They bid 'im show 'is stockin's an' lay 'is 

mattress square ; 
*E calls it bloomin' nonsense — 'e doesn't 

know no more — 
An' then up comes 'is company an' kicks 

'em round the floor ! 

The young recruit is 'ammered — 'e takes 

it very 'ard ; 
'E 'angs his 'ead an* mutters — 'e sulks 

about the yard ; 
'E talks o' " cruel tyrants " 'e'll swing for 

by an* bye, 
An' the others 'ears an' mocks 'im, an* 

the boy goes orf to cry. 

The young recruit is silly — 'e thinks o' 

suicide ; 
'E's lost 'is gutter-devil; 'e 'asn't got 'is 

pride ; 
But day by day they kicks 'im, which 

'elps 'im on a bit, 
Till 'e finds 'isself one mornin' with a full 

an' proper kit. 

An' now the hugly bullets come peekin' 
through the dust. 

An' no one wants to face 'em, but every 
beggar must ; 

So, like a man in irons which isn't glad 
to go. 

They moves 'em off by companies, un- 
common stiff an' slow. 

Of all 'is five years schoolin' they don't 

remember much, 
Excep' the not retreatin', the step an* 

keepin' touch. 



It looks like teachin' wasted when they 

duck an' spread an' 'op. 
But if 'e 'adn't learned 'em they'd be all 

about the shop ! 

RuDYARD Kipling. 

WHO WILL CARE FOR MOTHER NOW? 

During one of our late battles, among 
many other noble fellows that fell, was a 
young man who had been the only sup- 
port of an aged and sick mother for years. 
Hearing the surgeon tell those who were 
near him, that he could not live, he placed 
his hand across his forehead and, with a 
trembling voice, said, while burning tears 
ran down his fevered cheeks: "Who will 
care for mother now?" 

WHY am I so weak and weary? 
See how faint my heated breath, 
All around to me seems darkness — - 
Tell me, comrades, is this death? 
Ah ! how well I know your answer, 

To my fate I meekly bow, 
If you'll only tell me truly. 

Who will care for mother now? 

CHORUS. 

Soon with angels I'll be marching, 
With bright laurels on my brow, 

I have for my country fallen, 
Who will care for mother now? 

Who will comfort her in sorrow? 

Who will dry the fallen tear, 
Gently smooth the wrinkled forehead? 

Who will whisper words of cheer? 
Even no\y I think I see her 

Kneeling, praying for me ! how 
Can I leave her in her anguish ? 

Who wall care for mother now? 

Let this knapsack be my pillow. 

And my mantle be the sky ; 
Hasten, comrades, to the battle, 

I will like a soldier die. 
Soon with angels I'll be marching, 

With bright laurels on my brow; 
I have for my country fallen, 

Who will care for mother now? 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



409 



WILLIE HAS GONE TO THE WAR. 

THE blue bird is singing its lay 
To all the sweet flowers of the dale; 
The wild bee is roaming, at play ; 
And soft is the sigh of the gale ; 
I stray by the brook-side, alone, 

Where oft we have wandered before. 
And weep for my loved one — my own : 
My Willie has gone to the war ! 

CHORUS. 

Willie has gone to the war, Willie — 
Willie, my loved one — my own ; 

Willie has gone to the war, Willie — 
Willie, my loved one, has gone. 

It was there, where the lily-bcUs grow, 

That I last saw his noble young face ; 
But now he has gone to the foe — 

Oh ! dearly 1 love the old place ! 
The whispering waters repeat 

The name that 1 love, o'er and o'er, 
And daisies, that nod at my feet, 

Say : Willie has gone to the war ! 

The leaves of the forest will fade. 

The roses will wither and die. 
And Spring to our home in the glade, 

On fairy-like pinions, will fly ; 
But still I will hopefully wait 

Till the day when those battles are o'er; 
And pine like a bird for its mate, 

Till Willie comes home from the war. 

MARCHIN* WID DE BAN'. 

OWE'S mighty monstrous happy, 
J In de middle ob de day 
When the sun am shinin' brightly 

An* de flags am flyin' gay ; 
When a ban' ob sixty pieces 

(Sixty pieces, mo' o' less) 
Plays sich lubly music 

Dat it lull yo' soul to res'. 
Wid de drum majah a-struttin' 

Lak a turkey goblah gran' 
An' we am dancin' an' a-prancin' 

An' a-marchin' wid de ban'. 

Keepin' step am jus' ez eazy 
When the ban' begin' to play. 

Jus' comes to us as nachal 
Ez as a boss come to his hay, 



Kas ouah h'ahts am full ob gladness 

When de drums begin to beat, 
Wid dey thumpin' an' a-bumpin' 

While we keeps time wid ouah feet, 
De pleasure am jus' 'licious — 

De fines' in de Ian' — 
When wc am dancin' an' a-prancin' 

An' a-marchin' wid de ban'. 

Ef yo' eber has some trubbel, 

In any time ob yeah, 
Collectin' de cullud people, 

A-livin' fuh an' neah. 
Git a ban' ob sixty pieces, 

All dressed in unifohms, 
Wid dem gol' things on dey shouldahi 

An' red stripes 'roun' they ahms, 
Den all de cullud people — 

De yaller, black an' tan — 
Will quit dey situations 

An' go marchin' wid dat ban'. 

Phil. H. Browk. 

TO THE FLYING SQUADRON. 

FIERCE flock of sea gulls, with huge 
wings of white. 
Tossed on the treacherous blue. 
Poising your pinions in majestic flight— 
Our hearts take voyage with you. 

God save us from war's terrors ! May 
they cease i 

And yet one fate, how worse ! 
A bloodless, perjured, prostituting peace. 

Glutting a coward's purse ! 

Oh, if yon beaks and talons clutch and 
cling 
Far in the middle seas 
With those of hostile war birds, wing to 
wing— 
Our hearts shall fight with these. 

God speed you ! Never fared cnisading 
knight 

On holier quest than ye — 
Sworn to the rescue of the trampled Right, 

Sworn to make Cuba free ! 

Yea, swiftly to avenge our martyred Maine, 
I watch you curve and wheel 

In horrible grace of battle— scourge of 
I Spain, 

I Birds with the beaks of steel I 



410 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



KXSS ME AS OF OLD, MOTHER. 

ON the field of battle, mother, 
All the night alone I lay. 
Angels watching o'er me, mother, 

'Till the breaking of the day; 
I lay thinking of you, mother, 

And the loving ones at home, 

'Till to our dear cottage, mother, 

Boy again I seemed to come. 

CHORUS. 

Kiss me for my brother, sister — 
When I sleep deep in the grave, 

Tell I died true to my country — 
Her honor tried to save. 

I must soon be going, mother, 

Going to the home of rest; 
Kiss me as of old, mother, 

Press me nearer to your breast ; 
Would I could repay you, mother. 

For your faithful love and care, 
God uphold and bless you, mother, 

In this bitter woe you bear, 

TELL MOTHER I DIE HAPPY. 

I AM dying, comrades, dying 
As you hear me lightly tread ; 
Soon, ah, soon, I shall be lying 

With the silent, sleeping dead. 
I am dying, comrades, dying, 

Still the battle rages near; 

Tell me, are our foes a flying ? 

I die happy, mother dear. 

CHORUS. 

Tell my mother I die happy, 
That for me she must not weep; 

Tell her how I longed to kiss her, 
Ere I sunk in death to sleep. 

I am going, comrades, going ; 

See how damp my forehead's now; 
Oh, I see the angels coming, 

With bright garlands for my brow. 
Bear this message to my mother; 

How in death that God was near. 
He to bless and to support me; 

I die happy, mother dear. 



Lay me, comrades, 'neath the willow. 

That grows on the distant shore; 
Wrap the starry flag around me, 

I would press its folds once more ; 
Let the cold earth be my pillow. 

And the stars and stripes my shroud; 
Soon, oh, soon, I shall be marching 

Amid the heavenly crowd. 

THE TORPEDO=BOAT. 

SHE'S a floating boiler crammed with 
fire and steam ; 
A toy, with dainty works like any 
watch ; 
A working, weaving basketful of tricks- 
Eccentric, cam and lever, cog and 
notch. 
She's a dashing, lashing, tumbling shell 
of steel, 
A headstrong, kicking, nervous, plung- 
ing beast; 
A long, lean ocean liner — trimmed down 
small ; 
A bucking broncho harnessed for the 
East. 
She can rear and toss and roll 
Your body from your soul, 

And she's most unpleasant wet — to say 
the least ! 

But see her slip in, sneaking down, at 
night; 
All a-tremble, deadly, silent — Satan- 
sly. 
Watch her gather for the rush, and catch 
her breath ! 
See her dodge the wakeful cruiser's 
sweeping eye. 
Hear the humming ! Hear her coming ! 
Coming fast ! 
(That's the sound might make men wish 
they were at home. 
Hear the rattling Maxim, barking rapid 
fire), 
See her loom out through the tog with 
bows afoam ! 
Then some will wish for land — 
They'd be sand fleas m the sand 

Or yellow grubs reposing m the loam. 

James Barnes. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



411 



THE MAN WHO DOES THE CHEERIN'. 

THIS war with Spain reminds me o' 
the Spring o' '6i, 
About the time or jist afore the Civil 

War begun ; 
A certain class o' heroes ain't remembered 

in this age, 
Yit their names in golden letters should 

be writ on histry's page. 
Tiaeir voices urged on others to save this 

ol* country's fall; 
I admit they never listened when they 

heerd Abe Lincoln's call ; 
They njver heerd a eagle scream er heerd 

a rifle crack, 
But you bet they done the cheerin' 
When the troops come back. 

O' course it's glorious to fight when free- 
dom is at slake, 
I 'low a feller likes to know that he hez 

helped to make 
Another star in freedom's sk\ — the star 

o' Cuby — free ! 
But still another feelin' creeps along o' 

that when he 
Gits to thinkin' o' the home he left en 

seein' it at night 
Dancin' slowlike up aroun' him in a misty 

maze o' light. 
En a-ketchin' fleetin' glimpses of a crowd 

along the track. 
En the man who does the cheerin' 
When the troops come back. 

O' course a soldier hez got feelin's en his 

heart begins to beat 
Faster, ez ol' ReckoUection leads him 

down some shady street 
Where he knows a gal's a-waitin' under- 
neath a creepin' vine, 
Where the sun is kinder cautious 'bout 

combatin' with the shine 
In her eyes — en jist anuther thing that 

nuther you er I 
Could look at with easy feelin's is a piece 

o' pumpkin pie 
That hez made our mothers famous — but 

down there along the track 
Is the man who does the cheerin' 

When the troops come back. 



It's jist the same in war times ez in com- 
mon ev'ry day, 
When a feller keeps a-strugglin' en a-peg- 

gin' on his way. 
He likes to hev somebody con.c and grab 

him by the hand. 
En say: "01' boy, you'll git there yit; 

you've got the grit en sand." 
It does him good, en I 'low that it does 

a soldier, too ; 
So even if the feller at the track don't 

wear the blue, 
He's helped save bleedin' Cuby from the 

tyrants en their rack 
By leadin' in the cheerin' 

When the troops come back. 

Edward Singer. 

WRAP THE FLAG AROUND ME, BOYS. 

OWRAP the flag around me, boys, to 
> die were far more sweet, 
With freedom's starry emblem, boys, to 

be my winding sheet. 
In life I loved to see it wave, and follow 

where it led, 
And now my eyes grow dim, my hands 
would clasp its last bright shred. 

CHORUS. 

Then wrap the flag around me, boys, 
To die were far more sweet, 

With freedom's starry emblem, boys, 
To be my winding sheet. 

O, I had thought to greet you, boys, on 

many a well won field. 
When to our starry banner, boys, the 

trait' rous foe should yield. 
But now, alas, I am denied my dearest 

earthly prayer; 
You'll follow and you'll meet the foe, but 

I shall not be there. 

But though my body moulders, boys, my 

spirit will be free. 
And every comrade's honor, boys, will 

sti'.l be dear to me. 
There in the thick and bloody fight never 

let your ardor lag. 
For I'll be there still hovering near, above 

the dear old flag. 



412 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE ANGLO-AMERICAN RACE. 

Dedicated to the Albion Society of Phil- 
adelphia, and the Society of the Sons 
of St. George. 

WE are one in the bonds of progression, 
In the power to toil and to fight, 
We are one in our loathing of wrong, 
For liberty, honor and right. 

CHORUS. 

Then hurrah for Peace ! but if foes attack, 
Then hurrah for the troops and tars. 

Hurrah ! hurrah ! for the Union Jack 
When joined with the Stripes and Stars ! 

We are one in our laws and our language. 

We are one in our thought and our 
song, 
We are one in our hatred of traitors, 

We are one in our loathing of wrong. 

CHORUS. 

Then hurrah for Peace ! but if foes unite, 
'Gainst the world we will not turn back: 

The Stars and Stripes shall win the fight. 
When joined with the Union Jack ! 

We have cheered for each other in triumph, 
We have wept for each other in vain. 

We have quarreled and battled together; 
We are friends and as friends shall re- 
main. 

CHORUS. 

Then hurrah for Peace ! but if foes attack* 
Then hurrah for the troops and tars ! 

Hurrah ! hurrah ! for the Union Jack, 
When joined with the Stripes and Stars! 

We shall not be parted, my brothers. 
Till the Rockies descend from their 
place. 

It is born — The new Union forever ! 
The Anglo-American Race ! 

CHORUS. 

Then hurrah for Peace! but if foes unite, 
'Gainst the world we will not turnback: 

The Stars and Stripes shall win the fight, 
When joined with the Union Jack. 



A STIRRUP CUP. 
A Song for the War Correspondent. 

A HEALTH all round ere the last bell 
rings, 
Ere the signals shift and the whistle sings; 
There's a moment yet while the trains 

delay. 
We've turned life loose on the world to- 
day! 
On an unknown quest for East or West, 
East or West on the unknown way. 

For some went South when the Cuban 
rose. 

And some turned north to the Yukon 
snows. 

By sledge or steamer, by mail or freight, 

From the Koord Kabul to the Golden 
Gate, 
We've gone the rounds of the world- 
wide bounds, 

From the Hoang-Ho to Magellan Strait. 

We stood by the guns when the impi 
broke, 

And the field glass strained through the 
whirling smoke ; 

We scrawled the dispatch by the thorn- 
bush fire. 

Then a hundred miles to the telegraph 
wire ! 
A ride by night, from the field of fight, 

A rattling scoop or an Angel Choir ! 

When the bucks broke loose from the 
tribe reserve, ^ 

We sketched the scalping, and saw them 
swerve 

When the pistols cracked and the rush 
was stayed 

By the crackling line of the News Brigade. 
Up the Peace with the Plains Police — ■■ 

In the Alkali hell our bones are laid. 

The big gong clangs from the depot wall; 
The whistles shriek and the signals fall; 
Around the curve and along the bay — 
We're out once more on the open way. 

East or West, or cursed or blessed, 
We've turned life loose on the world to- 
day. Frank L. Pollock. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



4n 



Y 



KINO WHEAT. 

OU may tell of your armored cruis- 



ers 



And your great ships of the line; 
And swift or slow may steamers go 

Across the billowy brine. 
Like thunder may the cannon boom 

To greet their flags unfurled, 
And for an hour they may have power 

To rule the frightened world. 

From ocean shore to ocean shore 

Lie lines of gleaming steel, 
And night and day we hear alway 

The ring of rushing wheel ; 
Though buffalo have left the plain, 

And Indian tents are furled, 
Nor steam nor hand at wealth's com- 
mand 

Can rule the busy world. 

But where the hillside rises fair 

In terraces of green, 
And on the plain, where wind and rain 

Sweep fields of golden sheen, 
Where sturdy yellow stalks arise, 

With bannered heads unfurled, 
Here you may greet the Great King 
Wheat, 

The ruler of the world. 

Oh, hills may shake and vales resound 

Beneath the flying car. 
And driven by steam and winds a-beam 

Our ships ride fast and far; 
Cities may crumble 'neath the guns 

Which guard our flag unfurled, 
Yet all shall greet— at last— King Wheat, 

For hunger rules the world. 

Ninette M. Lowater. 

HOSANNAH AND HUZZAH. 

ERE ever the guns are silenced ; 
Ere ever the mandate, Peace 1 
Shall fall on the raging nations, 

Shall bid all their warfare cease ; 
Ere eve*- the lamb in slumber 

Lies safe 'neath the lion's paw, 
We, will cry to the East ; Hosannah! 
We will call to the West : Huzzah ! 



A hymn to the God of Battles, 

Who giveth the conq'ring sword, 
Who harks to the cry for justice, 

Who bends for tlie weak one's word; 
A hymn for the grandest triumph, 

E'er given the world to cheer. 
We will lift that the East may hearken. 

We will sing that the West may hear. 

Far over the waving banners 

The foundry's flame-plumes swirl; 
And over the stoker blazons 

The flag wliich we helped unfurl, 
But if o'er our hearthstone hovers 

The glory of sacrifice — 
We will make to the East no moanings, 

We will make to the West no cries. 

The fires of conquest kindle ; 

The clang of our sword sounds far; 
The lion purs as he watches 

His whelp at the game of war. 
But ere we forget in our triumph. 

And lest we grow faint in our cause, 
We will cry to the East Hosannas, 

We will shout to the West Huzzahs. 
Grace Duffie Boylan. 

A SONG OF PEACE. 

PEACE in the sunlight, and peace in 
the rain ; 
Peace where in meadows the wild doves 

complain ; 
Peace on the fields that were red with the 
slain — 
Peace in God's country forever ! 

Peace where the great ships have roared 

with their guns — 
Where the battle-smoke darkened all stars 

and all suns. 
Peace in the hearts of the patriot ones — 
Peace in God's country forever 1 

Peace, where no lightnings from heaven 

are hurled ; 
Where the loved flag of freedom forever's 

unfurled — 
Where the red stripes of glory shall gar- 
land the world — 
Peace in God's country forever ! 

F. L. Stanton. 



414 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



A CENTURY OF PEACE. 

A CENTURY of peace has dawned; 
the North and South are plighted, 
And all their lovers' quarrels have been 

forever righted. 
There is no North there is no South, no 

Johnny Reb to bandy ; 
No feud, no scores to settle up — no Yan- 
kee Doodle Dandy. 

What have we, then? A land serene, 

united, heart-to-hand, sir. 
Which, like a sum of numbers, never 

yields but one true answer. 
Who have we, then, in this great land, 

above its bonded boodle. 
With Northern pluck and Southern nerve ? 

His name is Dixie Doodle ! 

Then hip, hurrah ! for this brave youth, 
unbought of bond or boodle — 

The <:onqueror of future worlds — the grow- 
ing Dixie Doodle ! 

WHEN DEWEY COMES BACK. 

THEY say that Dewey's coming back 
To take a short vacation. 
And when he does there'll surely be 

A lot of jubilation. 
For everybody in the land, 

From youngest to the oldest. 
Will rush to see the hero who 
Is reckoned as the boldest. 

They want to see the man who led 

His fleet where dangers bristled, 
And who was coolest when he stood 

Where Spanish missiles whistled ; 
The man who bravely sailed where Dons 

Had big torpedoes scattered, 
Who banged away until their ships 

To pieces he had battered. 

Yes, he's the man they want to see, 

And far they'll go to meet him ; 
They'll strain their eyes as he draws near. 

And joyfully they'll greet him. 
The women, too, will all turn out, 

The matrons and the misses, 
And all the pretty girls will try 

To favor him with kisses. 



Upon him then will be conferred 

The freedom of the cities, 
And every band in every town 

Will play its choicest ditties. 
Each orator will hail him with 

Most eloquent expressions, 
And all the citizens will join 

In forming big processions. 

Long pent up joy will then break loose, 

And like a flood go sweeping. 
And on Manila's hero then 

All honors we'll be heaping. 
Yes, when brave Dewey comes back home 

There'll be a grand ovation. 
For he's the darling and the pride 

Of all this mighty nation. 

RED, WHITE AND BLUE. 

Red- 
High overhead 
Sparkles the banner of Mars ! 
Red— 
Under the tread 
Poppies asleep 'neath the stars I 

Blue— 
— Steadfast and true 
Bends the wide arch of the sky I 
> Blue— 

Tenderest hue — 
Chosen of violets shy. 

White— 
Shineth the right. 
Until the struggle shall cease! 

— Pure as the light, 
Blossom the lilies of peace. 

Jennie Betts Hartswick. 

TWO FLAGS. 

OLD flag of the " far-flung battle line," 
New flag of the " noble, free. " 
Twain in stress of a vanishing time, 
One in the glory to be. 

The same tints stream from your gleaming 
folds. 

Your symbols alike ye drew 
Whence meteors flash, and planet hol.ds 

High court in the vaulted blue. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



41 



Over the same proud race unfurled, 
Race of the stern shibboleth ; 

Ever tyranny helhvard be hurled, 
Liberty give us, or death ! 

Where Freedom beckons on foam or field, 

Alike yc flame in the van ; 
And cross or star on each azure shield 

Flash signals of hope to man. 

Entwine, and peace comes to the ages, 
Light to the regions of gloom. 

The triumph of hopes of the sages — 
Deserts turned gardens of bloom. 

Dark counsels be ])anished forever, 
Where mouthing malice is rife, 

Be palsied the hand that would sever 
Or dash thee together in strife. 

Hail, flag of the "far-flung battle line; " 
Hail, .iag of the " noble, free ! " 

Twain in stress of a vanishing time, 
One in the glory to be. 

John Brogan. 

AT THE FAREWELL. 

LET the starry banners fly ! 
While our boys go marching by. 
While there are, beneath the folds 
Of the flag the sergeant holds, 
Many faces we hold dear — 
Many kindred we revere. 

Let the starry banners fly ! 
For their reflex in the eye 
Of each shouting follower of 
Those the ensign waves above ; 
Is a picture good to see 
In our Nation's history ! 

Let the starry banners fly ! 
Wealth of gold could never buy 
Bunting bathed in holier red, 
Than the bloud our sires have shed ! 
Let the sacred banners fly — 
They have worshipers on High. 

Let the gleaming banners fly ! 
For no stars in yonder sky 
Shine more brightly in the nighi; 
Than our galaxy of white. 
Set in field of color true 
To the tint of heaven's blue. 



Then let every banner fly 
While our boys go marcliing by I 
Let their last fond glimpse of ns 
See Old Glory hovering thus 
O'er our heads — the scene will glow 
In their hearts where'er they go 1 

Let them see as they pass by 
That we hate to say good-bye — 
That we love them as they face 
Duty's call, with patriot grace. 
And — that we they leave behind 
Are the patriotic kind 1 

Joan Ford Lefler. 

A BALLAD OF BLUE-JACKETS. 

THE Don had liiswiU with the Maine! 
He set off his mine with a roar, 
He quaffed to our dead his champagne, 
And laughed till his sides were sore. 
And now he must settle the score, 
And pay for his sport, as is right. 

Our navy is brave as of yore, 
And Yankee blue-jackets can fight. 

Perhaps we are not in the vein — 

We pigs, as he's called us before — 
To laugh at our sailor l)oys slain, 

And so his brave joke we deplore. 

But flashing a bolt from the shore 
And sinking a ship in the night 

Was murder, our blue jackets swore, — 
And Yankee blue-jackets can fight. 

Our guns at Manila spoke plain. 

And sharp was the message they bore, 

As swift through the squadron of Spain 
Our death-dealing hurricane tore ; 
As, riddled and rent to the core. 

Each cruiser j)lunged down out of sight. 
"One more for our sailors i one'more ! " 

And Yankee blue-jackets can fight- 

ENVOY. 

Alfonzo, just add to your store 
Of learning, this sentiment trite, 

Remember the war isn't o'er, 

And Yankee blue-jackets can fight. 

Joe Lincoln. 



416 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



•« 'WAY UP ALOFT." 

SAW you the ship when it left our 
shore, 
And vanished over the blue sea-line, 
To seek an anchorage, safe, once more 

And find a port on the watery brine ? 
Drilled by officers, true to their call. 

Manned by a sturdy, stalwart crew, 
While, waving protectingly over them all, 
Floated the red, white and blue ! 
' Way up aloft ! 

Oh, ship that left such a shining track, 
As she dipped her keel in the ocean's 
foam ; 
Never again will she voyage back 

To the weary, waiting ones at home ! 
She foundered not on the sandy shoals. 

She struck no rock in a treacherous sea, 
But she sank, with her freight of human 
souls, 
In a harbor's sheltering lee ! 

Oh, ship, no more will your sailors leap 

To answer their captain's clarion call, 
The jolly tars stern silence keep 

With the waves for their funeral pall ! 
For while they slumbered, a cruel blast 

Sundered the strong-girt deck in twain. 
Rent and shivered the bulwarks vast. 

Of our gallant battleship Maine! 

Oh, ship, that swept from our sight so 
fast. 
Answering the touch of the helmsman's 
hand. 
Only to lose all your cargo at last. 

And find your grave in a foreign land. 
Remember the Maine ! Wipe out the 
debt! 
While children cry and the widows 
weep. 
Shall we, as a nation, so soon forget 
The spot where our sailors sleep '. 

Oh, mariners, man your ships of war, 
And speed, swift, over the outstretched 
sea; 

Chart your course by humanity's law 
And make your soundings for liberty: 

The compass points with hand so sure 
To justice for those, our nation's dead ; 

With God for our pilot — a purpose, pure, 



And our loved flag overhead ! 
'Way up aloft ! 

Anna B. Patten. 

THOSE WHO GO FORTH TO BATTLE. 

" In Rama was there a voice heard, 
Rachel weeping for her children." 

I AM but one of the many — the mothers 
who weep and who mourn 
For the dear sons slain in the battle. Oh ! 

burden of sorrow borne 
At the thought of their needed comforts, 

their hardships along the way ! 
But we prayed to Thee, loving Father, to 

sustain them day by day ; 
Now our hearts are dumb in our anguish, 

and our lips refuse to pray. 

They are slain in the cruel battle, the pit- 
iless chance of war ! 

From the homes that they were the light 
of, from those that they loved afar, 

With no mother-kisses to soothe them, no 
ministry of loving hand ! 

But 'tis well with them, now and forever, 
for they live in the "better land," 

Where Thy peace shall abide forever, and 
never an armed band. 

For they were Thy heroes, dear Father; 
they fell as Thy heroes fall. 

And loyal, and true, and undaunted, they 
answered their country's call; 

They laid their young lives on her altar, 
for her will their blood was shed ; 

And now there is naught that can com- 
fort the mothers whose hearts have 
bled 

For the sons who went to the battle, by 
the chance of the battle dead. 

! God, Thou hast tender pity, and love 

for the broken in heart. 

But not even Thou can'st comfort, for 
there is no comfort apart 

From the son who went out from my cling- 
ing : O God, I cry to Thee ! 

1 grope in the darkness to clasp him — 

that darkness that hides from me 
The sight of Thy hand, dear Father ! 
though outstretched to comfort it 
be. 

IsiDOR D. French. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



417 



PICTURE OF WAR. 

SPIRIT of light and life! when battle 
rears 

Her fiery brow and her terrific spears ! 

When red-moiithed cannon to the clouds 
uproar, 

And gasping thousands make their beds ii^ 
gore, 

While on the billowy bosom of the air 

Roll the dead notes of anguish and des- 
pair ! 

Unseen, thou walk'st upon the smoking 
plain, 

And hear'st each groan that gurgles from 
the slain ! 

List 1 war peals thunder on the battle- 
field, 

And many a hand grasps firm the glitter- 
ing shield, 

As on, with helm and plume, the warriors 

\ come, 

And the glad hills repeat their stormy 
drum ! 

And now are seen the youthful and the 
gray, 

With bosoms firing to partake the fray ; 

The first, with hearts that consecrate the 
deed. 

All eager rush to vanquish or to bleed ! 

Like young waves racing in the morning 
sun, 

That rear and leap with reckless fury on ! 

But mark yon war-worn man, who looks 

on high. 
With thought and valor mirrored in his 

eye ! 
Not all the gory revels of the day 
Can fright the vision of his home away; 
The home of love, and its associate smiles, 
His wife's endearment, and his baby's 

wiles : 
Fights he less brave through recollected 

bliss. 
With step retreating, or with sword remiss? 
Ah no ! remembered home's the warrior's 

charm. 
Speed to his sword, and vigor to his arm; 
For this he sup|)licates the God afar, 
Fronts the steeled foe, and mingles in the 

war ! 
27-D 



The cannon's hushed ! — nor drum, nor 

clarion sound: 
Helmet and hauberk gleam upon the 

ground ; 
Horseman and horse lie weltering in their 

gore; 
Patriots are dead, and heroes dare no 

more ; 
While solemnly the moonlight shrouds 

the plain, 
And lights the lurid features of the slain ! 

And see ! on this rent mound, where 
daisies sprung, 

A battle steed beneath his rider flung ; 

Oh ! never more he'll rear with fierce da- 
light, 

Roll his red eyes, and rally for the fight ! 

Pale on his bleeding breast the warrior 
lies, 

AVhile from his rufiled lids the white- 
swelled eyes 

Ghastly and grimly stare upon the skies ! 

Afar, with bosom bared unto the breeze, 
White lips, and glaring eyes, and shiver- 
ing knees, 
A widow o'er her martyred soldier moans. 
Loading the night-winds with delirious 

groans 1 
Her blue-eyed babe, unconscious orphan 

he!' 
So sweetly prattling in his cherub glee. 
Leers on his lifeless sire with infant wile, 
And plays and plucks him for a parent's 
smile ! 

But who, upon the battle-wasted plain. 
Shall cotint the faint, the gasping, and the 

slain ? 
Angel of Mercy ! ere the blood-fount 

chill. 
And the brave heart be spiritless and 

still, 
Amid the havoc thou art hovering nigh. 
To calm each groan, and close each dy- 
ing eye. 
And waft the spirit to that halcyon shore. 
Where war's loud thunders lash the winds 
no more ! 

Robert Montgomery. 



418 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



PATRIOTS AND PIRATES. 

WE praise the heroes of a long-dead 
time, 
The Spartan or the Roman or the Gaul, 
We flatter in oration or in rhyme 

The dust}' corpses deaf and dumb to all. 
But here we find beside our very door 
True heroes who are battling for the 
right- 
True heroes, brave as any braves of yore, 
True heroes, targets of the tyrant's 
might. 

We prate of wrongs our own forefathers 
felt. 
But these have suffered more a thousand 
fold: 
We boast of brave blows those forefathers 
dealt, 
But unto these, our neighhors, we are 
cold. 
We sigh for sufferings of the ancient years. 
While men to-day are tortured, hanged 
and shot, 
While starving babes and women shed 
their tears, 
And while this island Eden seems a 
blot. 

Like gaping listeners at some passing 
show, 
Who melt with pity at an actor's tears, 
Applauding, bent with passion to and fro 
At glimpses of fictitious hopes and fears. 
So we have sighed and sobbed for other 
times. 
Mourned over urns, hissed tyrants 
turned to clay. 
Yet idly watched the century's crown of 
crimes 
And saw true heroes die like dogs to- 
day. 

Strange, that a people once themselves 
oppressed. 
Heed not the patriots fighting to be 
free ; 
Strange, they who braved the Briton's 
lion crest, 
Should let a murderous pirate braggart 
be! 
O, shame too great for puny human 
words, 



When gold and silver rule the tongue 
and pen 1 
The eagle in the air is king of birds. 
The eagle on the dollar king of meni 

O Cuba, as in stories of the past. 

Transcendent beauty brought transcen- 
dent woe, 
Thou, in thy peerless loveliness at last, 
Hast seen thy queenly glories sinking 
low. 
When Elsa, slandered, breathed her fer- 
vent prayer. 
There came her true knight of the holy 
grail ; 
But no true knight will heed thy deep 
despair 
And hasten with a swan wing for a sail. 

Ah, yes, at last it comes — the swan, the 
swan ! 
O, fairest lady, see thy true knight here! 
With white wings fluttering in the roseate 
dawn. 
His bark shall blanch thy tyrant's cheek 
with fear. 
Before the fast feet of the northern gale 
He comes to face thy false accuser, 
Spain ; 
O, fairest lady, dream no more of fail ; 
Those heroes, Cuba, have not died in 
vain. 

WAR. 

WHAT worse, you ask, than useless 
war — 
Sunk ships, stormed cities, States down- 
hurled — 
The thunderous hammer-strokes of Thor 
That crash the rock-ribs of the world? 

What worse than horrid war ? O cease 
The coward cry ; is not the curse 

Of vile and ignominious peace. 

Bought with the price of honor, worse) 

What worse than war? A sullied fame ; 

The scoff of heroes and the scorn 
Of history and song ; the shame — 

The taint — corrupting sons unborn. 

Better is war than sordid gain 

Wrung from the servile; better fer 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



410 



Than manhood lost and virtue slain, 
Is war, war, everlasting war ! 

Alas ! I, too, lament the woe 

That war must bring — the blood, the 
tears ; 
Yet Right, to vanquish Wrong, I know 

Must oft beat pruning-hooks to spears. 

When fallen Liberty's sweet breast 

Throbs bare below the Spaniard's knife, 

Pause not to drool of worst or best — 
First save the bleeding victim's life. 

Two strokes sublime Columbia's hand 
Hath dealt in war — one stroke to save 

From foreign sway our native land — 
One stroke to free the negro slave. 

Now, once again the great sword awes 
The despot — flames o'er land and sea — 

A volunteer in Cuba's cause ; 
Spain falls, and Cuba rises, free ! 

W. H. Venable. 

AMERICA SHALL BE FREE. 

EACH patriot heart to-day is thrilled. 
Each cry of conscience now is stilled, 
For Cuba's rights the nation spoke, 
And at the word the Spanish yoke 
That wet with blood had come to be, 
Fell, riven, from a people free. 

No more as slaves shall Cuba's fair 
In cringing aspect tremble there 
Before those despots harsh and rude, 
Who pitied none, whose souls so crude 
They cared for naught but Castile's lust. 
Though humbling millions low in dust. 

Lead on, ye sorx^of freedom's birth. 
Till every soul around the earth 
Shall breathe the air as free as we, 
Aad serve no master save but He 
Who rules the universe from high, 
And loveth all beneath the sky. 

No higher mission binds us here ; 
Firm in the right, we know not fear. 
In justice' name we launch our boats. 
In freedom's cause our flag e'er floats. 
Each shot that leaves the cannon's mouth. 
In echoes wide from north to south. 
Proclaims to all. from sea to sea, 
America shall all be free. 



THE STORY OF- A DRUM. 

AREGLMENT in motion and the rat 
tie of a drum. 
With a rat, tat, tat ! and rat, tat tum I 
Fear is on the face of some. 
Others stopping with aplomb ; 
And steady is the patter and the clatter 
ot the drum. 

Sweeping lines in evolution, fast the wheel- 
ing columns come ; 
And a thousand men are stepping to the 
tapping of the drum ! 
There are countenances glum, 
There are senses dull and numb. 
But a boy is stepping proudly there, he's 
playing on the drum. 

The rage and roar of battle, and the rattle 

of a drum, 
The shrapnel shot are flying with a zip ! 
and a zum ! 
Cruel shells exploding come, 
And the bullets hiss and hum. 
But a drum still echoes loudly. Will the 
thing be never mum ? 

Darkness on the field of battle, where the 

body seekers come ! 
The storm of death is ended, and dis- 
played the struggle's sum — 
A pallid face, a drum ; 
There is blood, and both are dumb. 
A story of a drummer and a story of a 
drum. T. E McGrath. 

DEWEY'S COMING. 

THEY say that Dewey's comin' ; that'i 
the word from lips to lips ! 
I'm talkin' 'bout the feller that sunk all 

the Spanish ships 
In the far Manila harbor ! An', good 

folks, when Dewey comes, 
There'll be blowin' of the bugles, there'll 
be beatin' of the drums ! 

They say that Dewey's comin' ; he's the 

feller that we like ! 
He knew when all the tempest told the 

lightnin' where to strike I 
He knew the very moment when the 

thunder beat its drums, 
And we'll blow the sweetest bugles when 

Mister Dewey comes 1 



420 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE SOLDIER'S DREAM. 

OUR bugles sang truce ; for the night- 
cloud had lowered, 
And the sentinel stars set their watch 
in the sky ; 
And thousands had sunk on the ground 
overpowered — 
The weary to sleep, and the wounded 
to die. 

When reposing that night on my pallet 
of straw, 
By the wolf-scaring fagot that guarded 
the slain, 
At the dead of the night a sweet vision I 
saw, 
And thrice ere the morning I dreamt 
it again. 

Methought from the battle-field's dread- 
ful array 
Far, far I had roamed on a desolate 
track : 
'Twas Autumn — and sunshine arose on 
the way 
To the home of my fathers, that wel- 
comed me back. 

I flew to the pleasant fields, traversed so 
oft 
In life's morning march, when my 
bosom was young ; 
I heard my own mountain-goats bleating 
aloft. 
And knew the sweet strain that the 
corn-reapers sung. 

Then pledged we the wine cup, and 
fondly I swore 
From my home and my weeping friends 
never to part : 
My little ones kissed me a thousand times 
o'er. 
And my wife sobbed aloud in her ful- 
ness of heart. 

Stay, stay with us ! — rest ; thou art weary 

and worn ! — 
And fain was their war-broken soldier 

to stay ; 
Cut sorrow returned with the dawning of 

morn. 



And the voice in my dreaming ear 
melted away. 

Thomas Campbell. 

THE BABY AND THE SOLDIERS. 

ROUGH and ready the troopers ride. 
Great, bearded men, with swords by 
side; 

They have ridden long, they have ridden 
hard. 

They are travel-stained and battle-scarred ; 

The hard ground shakes with their mar- 
tial tramp, 

And coarse is the laugh of the men in 
camp. 

They reach the spot where the mother 

stands 
With a baby clapping its little hands. 
Laughing aloud at the gallant sight 
Of the mounted soldiers fresh from the 

fight. 
The Captain laughs out: "I'll give you 

this, 
A handful of gold, your baby to kiss." 

Smiles the mother : " A kiss can't be sold. 
But gladly he'll kiss a soldier bold." 
He lifts the baby with manly grace 
And covers with kisses its smiling face, 
Its rosy lips and its dimpled charms. 
And it crows with delight in the soldier's 
arms. 

''Not all for the Captain," the soldiers 

call; 
"The baby, we know, has one for all." 
To the soldiers' breasts the baby is pressed 
By the strong, rough men, and by turns 

caressed, / 

And louder it laughs, and the mother fair. 
Smiles with mute joy as the kisses they 

share. 

" Just such a kiss," cries one trooper grim, 
" When I left my boy I gave to him; " 
"And just such a kiss on the parting day 
I gave to my girl as asleep she lay." 
Such were the words of the soldiers brave, 
And their eyes were moist as the kiss they 
gave. 




CHAPTER XXV. 

Story of Dewey's Great Victory Told in Official Reports 

of Our Naval Commanders. 

HE men who did the fighting are the best men to tell the story cH 
it. They were in the battle ; they were targets for the enemy ' 
they knew and watched every movement in the stupendous tragedy ; 
they make no statements that are overdrawn, nor do they exag- 
gerate the grand achievements of our fleet. In the official reports of the 
captains of our ships we have a clear, concise statement of facts, free from 
all embellishment, yet eloquent and soul-stirring. 

Very properly these reports begin with that of Captain Gridley, Com- 
mander of Admiral Dewey's Flagship, the Olympia. It is directed tc? the 
Commander-in-Chief, Asiatic Station. 

Report of Captain Gridley of the Olympia. 

U. S. Flagship Olympia, 
Off Manilla, Philippine Islands, May 3, 1898. 

Sir : I have the honor to make the following report of this ship's engage- 
ment with the enemy on May i: 

On April 30, we stood down for the entrance to Manila Bay. At 9.42 
P.M. the crew were called to general quarters (the ship having been previously 
cleared for action) and remained by their guns, ready to return the fire of the 
batteries if called upon. 

At about 11.30 P.M. we passed through Boca Grande entrance of Manila 
Bay. The lights on Corregidor and Caballo islands and on San Nicolas 
Banks were extinguished. After this ship had passed in the battery on the 
southern shore of entrance opened fire at the ships astern, and the McCul- 
loch and the Boston returned the fire. 

At 4 A.M. of May i, coffee was served out to officers and men. At day- 
break sighted shipping at Manila. Shifted course to southward and stood for 
Cavite. At 5.06 two submarine mines were exploded near Cavite bearing 
south-southeast, distant 4 miles. At 5. 1 5 battery on Shangly Point opened 
fire, but the .shell fell short. Other shells passed over us, ranging 7 miles.i 
At 5.41 A.M. we opened fire on Spanish ships with forward 8-inch guns, which 
were soon followed by the 5-inch battery. A rapid ,^re was kept up until the 
Close of the action. The range varied from 5,600 to 2,000 yards. 

421 



422 OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 

A torpedo boat ran out and headed for this ship, but was finally driven 
back by our secondary battery. She came out a second time and was again 
repulsed. This time she had to be beached, as several shot had hit her. Bat- 
teries from Manila fired occasional shots at the ships during the action, but 
did no damage. 

At 6.20 turned to starboard and headed back in front of the Spanish 
line. The Olympia led the column three times to the westward and twice to 
the eastward in front of the Spanish ships and shore batteries. On one occa- 
sion the Spanish flagship Reina Cristina was hit by an 8-inch shell from our 
forward turret and raked fore and aft. At 9.35 ceased firing and stood out 
into Manila Bay. The men went to breakfast. 

Many of the Spanish ships were seen to be on fire, and when we returned 
at 1 1. 16 to complete the destruction of the Spanish fleet only one, the Don 
Antonio de Ulloa, and the shore batteries returned our fire. The former was 
sunk and the latter were silenced. At 12.40 p.m. stood back to Manila Bay 
and anchored. 

Besides making the ordinary preparations of clearing ship for action, the 
heavy sheet chains were faked up and down over a buffer of awnings against 
the sides in wake of the 5 -inch ammunition hoists and afforded a stanch pro- 
tection, while iron and canvas barricades were placed in various places to 
cover guns' crews and strengthen moderate defenses. 

Number and Location of Hits. 

The vessel was struck or slightly hulled as follows : 

(i) Plate indented i i^-inches starboard side of superstructure just forward 
of second 5-inch sponson. 

(2) Tliree planks torn up slightly in wake of forward turret on starboard 
side of forecastle. 

(3) Port after shrouds of fore and main rigging. 

(4) Strongback of gig's davits hit and slightly damaged. 

(5) Hole in frame of ship between frame 65 and 66 on starboard side 
below main deck rail; made by a 6-pounder. 

(6) Lashing of port whaleboat davit carried away by shot. 

(7) One of the rail stanchions carried away outside of port gangway. 

(8) Hull of ship indented on starboard side i foot below main-deck rail 
and 3 feet abaft No. 4 coal port. 

The forward 8-inch guns fired 23 shells. The ammunition hoist was 
temporarily out of commission on account of the blowing of the fuse. The 
right gun worked well with the electrical batteries. Battery of left gun failed 
to explode the primer after the first shot; also resistance lamp in dynamo 



OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 423 

circuit broken. Used percussion primers in this gun with good results after 
the first shot. 

The after turret fired 13 shells. Had three misfires with battery of right 
gun and two with dynamo circuit, as fuses blew out. In renewing fuses they 
were immediately blown out; so shifted to percussion primers with good 
results. In left gun i shell jammed, after which used half-full and half-reduced 
charge, which fired it. Battery of this gun gave good results. One primer 
failed to check gas. 

The smoke from the 5-inch battery and from the forward 8-inch guns 
gave considerable trouble, and in both turrets the object glass of the telescopic 
sights became covered with a deposit from the powder and had to be wiped off 
frequently. These are, nevertheless, considered good sights for heavy guns ; 
but it is recommended that bar sights be installed in case of emergency, as 
there is no provision for sighting other than with the telescopes. 

Guns in Good Working Order. 

The batteries for the 5-inch guns found to be unreliable. Used dynamo 
circuit on 3 guns with good results. Ammunition poor. Many shell became 
detached from the cases on loading and had to be rammed out from the 
muzzle. Several cases jammed in loading and in extracting. Guns and gun 
mounts worked well. Fired about 281 5-inch shell. The 6-pounder battery 
worked to perfection, firing 1,000 rounds. Fired 360 rounds of i-poundcr 
and 1,000 rounds of small-arm ammunition. 

From 9.42 P.M. of April 30, till 12.40 p.m., May i, two divisions of the 
engineer's force worked the boilers and engines, keeping up steam and work- 
ing well, notwithstanding the heat of the fire and engine rooms. The third 
division worked at their stations in the powder division. The ship needs no 
immediate repairs and is in excellent condition to engaged the enemy at any 
time. There were no casualties nor wounded on this ship. 

Where every officer and man did his whole duty there is only room for 
general praise. Pay Inspector D. A. Smith, Fleet Pay Clerk \Vm. J. Right- 
mire, and Pay Clerk \V. M. Long all volunteered for and performed active 
service not required by their stations. Ensign H. H. Caldwell, secretary' to 
the commander-in-chief, volunteered for fighting duty and was assigned to the 
command of a subdivision of the 5 -inch battery. Every man was eager to 
have a part in the battle, and volunteers were not wanting for any service 
required. The conspicuous gallantry of officers and men is deserving of spe- 
cial mention. One 6-pounder was manned by a crew of marines, and two 
relief crews for the 5-inch guns and two for the 6-pQunders acted as sharp- 
shooters under Captain W. Biddle, U, S, M. C. 



424 OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 

The range was obtained by cross bearings from the standard compass 

and the distance taken from the chart. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Ch. V. Gridley, 

Captain U. S. N., Commanding U. S. Flagship Olympia. 

Only a few weeks after Captain Gridley presented this very modest 
report, which says nothing about the heroic part he took in the battle, his 
comrades in the navy, and our whole country, were called to mourn his 
untimely death. A fatal disease was doing its deadly work as he stood on 
his ship and gave orders to his men with no more appearance of fear than as 
if making a pleasure excursion in Manila Bay. 

What all the guns of the enemy could not do was accomplished by the 
inroads of insidious disease, and the man who received this historic command 
of the Admiral, "You may fire when ready, Gridley," went down to an hon- 
orable grave in the prime of his manhood and the glory of his brilliant career. 

Report of the Gallant Ship Raleigh. 

The following is Captain Coghlan's report, whose ship acted an impor- 
tant part in the engagement and on returning a year later to the United States 
received a great ovation in every port she entered : 

U. S. S. Raleigh, 
Off Manila, Luzon, May 4, 1898. 

Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations 
of this vessel of your squadron during the engagement with the Spanish 
squadron and shore batteries at Cavite, near Manila, on the morning of 
May I, 1898: 

At about 12.10 A.M. of May ist, when passing in column, natural order, 
abreast of El Fraile Island, at the entrance to the bay, I observed a flash, as 
of a signal thereon, and at about 12.15 a.m. a shot was fired from El Fraile, 
passing, as I think, diagonally between the Petrel and this vessel. A shot 
was fired in return, but without effect, by the starboard after 5-inch gun of 
this vessel. 

At 5 A.M., when the squadron was nearly abreast the city of Manila and 
the flagship was turning to pass down toward Cavite, the Lunetta Battery, of 
apparently heavy guns, at Manila, opened fire and continued so long as the 
squadron was in action. This vessel shifted position from starboard to port 
(inside) quarter of the Baltimore, and held that position until retired at 7.35 
A.M. At a few minutes after 5 a.m. this vessel, so soon as the Spanish vessels 
at Cavite bore on the port bow, opened fire with the 6-inch gun, and then 



OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 425 

with the 5-inch guns in succession, as fast as they would bear. The second- 
ary battery guns did not seem to reach the enemy, and their fire was soon 
stopped and not again used until the distance was considerably lessened. 

At 1 1. 20 A.M., when signal was made to re-engage, this vessel started 
ahead full speed (using reserve speed) to keep up with the flagship, but it was 
found to be impossible, and falling behind all the time, I cut across to gain 
> line abreast of Cavite Battery just as the flagship passed the Baltimore at that 
port, at which time we opened fire with all guns. At 12, in obedience to 
signal, this vessel attempted to get into the inner harbor to destroy enemy's 
vessels, but getting into shoal water — 20 feet — was obliged to withdraw and 
so reported. While attempting to get inside, the battery was used on an 
enemy-vessel at anchor (supposed to be the Don Antonio de Ulloa) until she 
sank. Not being able to find a channel farther inside, and everything in 
sight having been destroyed, this vessel, at 1.30 p.m., withdrew and later 
anchored near the flagship. I enclose a statement of the ammunition expended 
during the engagement. 

I am very pleased to report that the officers and crew behaved splen- 
didly. Each and every one seemed anxious to do his whole duty, and, so far 
as I can learn, did it. Their whole conduct was beyond praise. 

This vessel was struck but once, and then by a 6-pounder shell, which 

passed through both sides of the whaleboat (above her water-line), and then 

glanced along the chase of the starboard 6-pounder on our poop. The gun 

was not injured, and the whaleboat but slightly, and she is again ready for 

service. 

Came Out without Injury. 

I am happy to report that there were no causalties of any kind. This 
vessel at the close of the engagement was in as .good condition as when it 
began, and without any preparation could have fought it over again. In con- 
clusion permit me to congratulate you upon the very brilliant victor>' you 
achieved over a naval force nearly equal to your own and backed by exten- 
sive shore batteries of very heavy guns, and this without the loss of a single 
life. History ooints to no greater achievement. 

Very respectfully, 

J. B. COGHLAN, 

Captain U. S. N., Comviandvig. 
Commodore George Dewey, U. S. N., 

Commander-in-Chief U. S. Naval Force, Asiatic Station. 

U. S. S. Concord, 
Manila, May 2, 1898. 
Sir: In compliance with Article 275, United States Navy Regulations, 



426 OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 

I have to submit the following report of the late action so far as this vessel 
was concerned. 

In obedience to your orders I took position in line. In passing the city 
a big gun opened on the fleet, to which I replied with two shots. The Con- 
cord held her position in the line until your order to withdraw from action. 

Later in the day I was ordered by you to burn a transport. To arrive at 
the position of the transport my course lay so as to open the dock-yard and 
vessels therein, at which I took a few shots with the 6-inch battery. I suc- 
ceeded in firing the transport, which is still in flames. 

Valor Beyond All Praise. 

Each and every one of my subordinates did his whole duty with an 
enthusiasm and zeal beyond all praise. I am particularly indebted to the 
executive ofificer, Lieutenant-Commander George P. Colvocoresses, for the 
cool, deliberate, and efficient manner with which he met each phase of the 
action, and for his hearty co-operation in my plans. Lieut. T. B. Howard, 
the navigator, proved that, like his father, he was ready to offer his life 
to his country and flag. The officers of divisions — Lieut. P. W. Hourigan, 
powder; Lieut, (j. G.) C. M, McCormick, third gun; Ensign L. A. Kaiser, 
second gun, and Ensign W. C. Davidson, first gun — performed every duty 
with zeal and alacrity. Ensign O. S. Knepper, in charge of signals, per- 
formed the duty as though he were in the daily habit of being under fire. 
P. A. Paymaster E. D. Ryan volunteered to take charge of the after powder 
division, and was most useful therein. The steam department, under Chief 
Engineer G. B. Ransom and P. A. Engineer H. W. Jones, was in a perfect 
condition, working as though on parade. Pay Clerk F. K. Hunt volunteered 
to assist the surgeon. The crew, one and all, worked with enthusiasm. I 
have nothing but praise for each and every man. I am happy to report that 
there were no casualties. The Concord was not hit. 

The following is a list of the ammunition expended: One hundred and 
fifteen 6-inch full charges, sixty-seven 6-inch reduced charges, six shrapnel, 
one hundred and seventy-six 6-inch common shell, two hundred and twenty 
6-pounder cartridges, one hundred and twenty 3-pounder cartridges, and sixty 
I -pounder cartridges. 

I enclose a list of the ammunition remaining on board: also the report of 
the executive officer and of the chief engineer. 

Very respectfully, 

Asa Walker 
Commander, U. S. N., Commanding. 
The Commander-in-Chief U. S. Naval Force, Asiatic Station, 



OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 427 

U. S. S. Baltimore, 
Manila, Philippine Islands, May 4, 1 8g8. 

Sir: — I have the honor to make the following report, as required by 
Article 437, Navy Regulations, of the engagement of this ship with the 
Spanish fleet and shore batteries at Sanglcy Point, Cavite Kay, on the f.rst 
instant. 

At early day-light the fleet had reached a point close up to the shipping 
off the city of Manila, when the signal was made, " Prepare for general 
action." Spanish batteries near old Manila opened fire at long range at about 
the same time. Flagship leading, with port helm, bore down on the right of 
Spanish line of vessels, formed in a somewhat irregular crescent at anchor, 
extending from off Sangley Point to the northeast, and in readiness to receive 
us, their left supported by the batteries on Sangley Point. 

Following your lead in close order, our fire commenced with the port 
battery at about 5.40 A. m., at a distance of about 6,000 yards. Our column 
passed down the enemy's Hne, turning with port helm as their left was reached, 
engaging them with starboard battery on the return. This manoeuver was 
performed three time at distances from the enemy's ships varying from 2,600 
to 5,000 yards, when you signaled to " withdraw from action " at 7.35. Upon 
reaching a convenient distance in the bay, you signaled, " Let the people go 
to breakfast;" and at 8.40, "Commanding officers repair on board the flag- 
ship." 

Spanish Colors Flying. 

While on board the flagship I received an order to intercept a steamer 
coming up the bay, reported to be flying Spanish colors. Soon after starting 
on this duty I discovered the colors of the stranger to be British, and so 
reported by signal, you having in the meantime made general signal to get 
under iKay and follow your motions, this ship being at the same time some 
two miles to the south-southwest of the flagship on her way to intercept the 
supposed Spanish steamer. 

At 10.55 you made general signal, " Designated vessel will lead." with 
Baltimore's distinguishing pennant, anfl in a few minutes signal to " attack the 
enemy's batteries or breastworks " and for fleet to " close up; " in obedience 
to which order this ship led in, with starboard helm, to a position off the 
Canocoa and Sangley Point batteries and opened fire with starboard battery 
at a distance of about 2,800 yards, closing in to 2,200, between which and 
2,700 yards our best work was done, slowing the ship dead slow, stopping 
the engmes as range was obtained, delivering a rapid and accurate fire upon 
the shore batteries and a gunboat just inside of Sangley Point, since proven to 



428 OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 

have been the Don Antonio de Ulloa, practically silencing the batterifrs in 
question before the fire of another ship became effective, owing to the lead we 
had obtained in our start for the supposed Spanish steamer. 

The fire of ships and batteries having been silenced and tiic white flag 
displayed on the arsenal buildings at Cavite, you signaled, at ^.20, to " prepare 
to anchor," and at 1.30, "Anchor at discretion." 

The victory was complete. The wind was light and variable during the 
first engagement and from the northeast ; force 2 tc 3 during the second. 

The firing devices gave considerable trouble, extractors, sear springs, and 
firing pins bending and breaking, and wedge blocks jamming. Electric firing 
attachments gave trouble by the grease and dirt incident to firing iuoulating 
the connections, so much so that shortly after the engagement commenced 
they were abandoned for percussion, but coolness and steadiness replaced 
defective parts in the shortest possible time. The ammunition supply was 
ample, and the test was conclusive so long as electric hoists are uninjured. 

Accurate and Rapid Firing. 

The behavior of officers and men was beyond all praise. The accuracy 
and rapidity of their fire you were an eye-witness of. The steadiness and 
cool bearing of all on board who came under my observation was that of vet- 
erans. The fact that the ship was so rarely hit gave few opportunities for 
conspicuous acts of heroism or daring, but the enthusiasm and cool steadi- 
ness of the men gave promise that they would have been equal to any 
emergency. 

I shall report later such detail of individual merit as has been mentioned 
by officers of divisions or that came under my own observation. I inclose 
(a) report of executive officer; {d) surgeon's report of casualties; {c) carpen- 
ter's report of damages; {d) report of ammunition expended. 

Very respectfully, N. M. Dyer, 

Captaiuy U. S. N., Commanding. 

The Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Naval Force , 
Asiatic Station. 

U. S. S. Petrel, 

Manila Bay, May 4, 1898. 

Sir : — I respectfully report as follows concerning my share in the action 
fouo-ht by the fleet under your command in Manila Bay, off Cavite, on the 
morning of May i, 1898 : 

The ship had been partly cleared for action at Hong Kong and on the 
run to Manila. Went to quarters for action at 9.45 A. m. of April 30th, ancj 



OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 429 

all preparations were completed. Hammocks were not piped down, but men 
were allowed to sleep at their guns. 

The position of Petrel was fourth from head of column, astern of Raleigh 
and ahead of Concord. We passed in through Boco Grande, about one mile 
from El Fraile. All lights were masked and only stern lights showing. At 
Ii.io a rocket and light were shown from Corregidor Island, and just as the 
Raleigh and Petrel came abreast of El Fraile three shots were fired from a 
shore battery on the rock, these being promptly replied to by the Raleigh, 
Concord and Boston. 

We steamed slowly up the bay, and just as day was breaking, about 5 
o'clock, the shore batteries below Manila began firing. It was scarcely light 
enough to distinguish signals from this vessel when flagship made signal to 
" Prepare for action," so signal was repeated from Baltimore. During time 
column was forming and closing up, the batteries from Manila were firing. As 
flagship stood to southward the ships and batteries at Cavite began their firing, 
and gradually, as we approached, we could make out ships under way in the 
harbor and three guns on shore firing. The battery of this vessel began firing 
at 5.22 by the deck clock at a range of 5,000 yards. 

Deadly Aim of American Gunners. 

The column circled three times from east to west in front of shore, stand- 
ing in a little nearer each time, the first time being 3,000 yards and the third 
time 1,800 yards. During these three rounds this vessel expended ninety-two 
6-inch common shells, eighty-two 6-inch full charges, ten reduced charges, 
and two hundred and fifty-three 3-pounders. Several times during rounds 
had to cease firing on account of smoke and in order to economize ammunition. 

The greater part of our great gun fire was at the Reina Christina and 
Castilla, the former steaming around the harbor and the latter anchored about 
500 yards off Sangley Point ; but the other and smaller vessels were fired at 
when opportunity offered. Especially was the fire of the rapid-fire guns 
aimed at a yellow launch, which was apparently a torpedo boat trying to turn 
our flank. The navigator, Lieut. B. A. Fiske, was stationed in the top with a 
stadimeter to determine the distance and report upon the efficiency of the fire. 

At 9.30 we ceased firing and withdrew from action in obedience to a 
signal from flagship to fleet to that effect. The men were given their break- 
fast. While withdrawing the enemy continued firing until we were well out 
of range, and the batteries below Manila were firing at intervals during break- 
fast. At 1 1, when the signal was made to get under way, the Petrel followed 
the Olympia and stood well in. While steaming across the fire the signal was 
hoisted for the Petrel to pass inside. 



430 OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 

This vessel left her station, passed outside of Baltimore, and rounded 
Sangley Point about 500 yards outside of where the Castilla was burning. The 
fire was then directed at the Don Antonio de UUoa, and when it was found that 
she was sinking and deserted, the ship passed farther inside and opened fire 
upon the ships behind inner breakwater and whose masts were seen above 
government buildings. During the firing on the UUoa a white flag with a 
Geneva cross was discovered in range with her, and I stood in further so as 
to get it out of range. After the first two or three shots fired through the 
public building at ships behind the mole, the Spanish flag was, at 12.30 p.m., 
hauled down and a white flag run up. The surrender was immediately sig- 
naled to fleet and firing ceased. 

In obedience to a signal from flagship to destroy all shipping in the har- 
bor. Lieutenant Hughes was sent with a whaleboats' crew of seven men, this 
whaleboat being the only one on the ship which would float, and set fire to 
the Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, General Lezo, and 
Marques del Duero. Afterwards Ensign Fermier was sent to set fire to the 
Velasco and El Correo. The Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, and Don Juan de 
Austria were aground and full of water when they were fired. Their out- 
board valves were opened and the ships allowed to fill. The breech plugs of 
4-inch guns had been taken off and could not be found. 

Her Magazines Blew Up. 

During the night the magazines of the Don Juan de Ulloa blew up. 
The Manila was not burned because the Spanish officers begged that she be 
not destroyed because she was unarmed and a coast-survey vessel. Lieutenant 
Fiske and Passed Assistant Engineer Hall raised steam on the ship this 
morning, the 4th instant, and brought her out. At the time she was aground. 
The Don Antonio de Ulloa was sunk and the Reina Christina and Castilla 
were burning in outer harbor. 

Lieutenant Fiske was sent ashore and brought off two tugboats, the 
Rapido and Hercules, and three steam launches. I was anchored in Cavite 
harbor from 12.50 to 5.20 p.m., when I got under way and returned to the 
fleet. 

I There were no casualties or accidents of any kind, the ship having been 
(Struck only once just beneath hawse pipe by a piece of shell which burst just 
as it sank, and threw a column of water over the forcastle. 

After the white flag was displayed, there was apparently the greatest 
confusion in the arsenal. Parts of the crews of the various ships were there, 
and all were armed and were constantly falling in and moving about; yet 
there was no evidence of any desire to continue the fighting, and instead of 



OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 431 

/«ny being offered to the destruction of the ships, they were rather inclined to 
assist with their advice and evinced a desire to surrender to the first officer 
they met. 

The action of ammunition was exceedingly good. There were expended 
during action one hundred and thirteen 6-inch common shells, three 6-inch 
armor-piercing shells, eighty-two 6-inch full charges, thirty-four 6-inch reduced 
charges and three hundred and thirteen 3-pounder ammunition. Owing to 
the heat due to firing, the pads swelled and made it very difficult to lock the 
breech plug. Nothing would remedy this save shifting plugs, replacing hot 
plug by the one from the other gun which was cool. The wedge of firing- 
lock jammed frequently, due to hot parts. This was remedied by shifting 
locks. 

The percussion primers worked very unsatisfactorily ; sometimes four 
primers would be expended before one would act. Primers leaked badly, 
causing excessive deposit in primer seat, hard extraction, and delay in prim- 
ing of gun and requiring frequent boring of vent. The action of no one can 
be censured, the conduct of each and every officer and man being excellent. 
There was no confusion ; I should say less than at ordinary target practice. 

Gallantry of a Lieutenant. 

The loading was rapidly done and the firing was deliberate. Due to your 
caution to commanding officers that no ammunition should be wasted, Lieu- 
tenant Plunkett fired the forward 6-inch guns and Ensign Fermier the after 
ones, and the work was thoroughly done. Lieutenant Hughes stationed him^ 
self on the poop, as it was deemed essential that he should not be with the 
commanding officer on the bridge. He materially assisted Ensign Fermier 
by observing fall of shot and tendering advice regarding pointing. I wish 
particularly to call to your attention Lieutenant Hughes, his gallantry in 
taking a boat's crew of seven men, and in the face of a large armed force on 
shore setting fire to the five ships before mentioned. He was aware that he 
had the only boat in the ship which would float, until the steam whaleboat 
could be prepared. 

Lieutenant Fiske stationed himself on the fore cross trees with stadimetcr 
to measure the range and report on the fall of shots. He also took charge 
of the steam whaleboat to cover Lieutenant Hughes in his operations in 
burning the ships. Lieutenant Wood had charge of the powder division, 
assisted in the after part by Assistant Paymaster Seibels. There was at no 
time a halt in the firing due to failure of the powder division. Ensign Mont- 
gomery was in charge of the signals, and materially assisted me on the 
bridge. He also directed the fire of the forward 3-pounder when it was 



432 OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 

allowed to be fired. He also afforded assistance to Lieutenant Plunket by 
observing the fall of shots from the forward 6-inch guns, 

I desire also to mention the efficient service of the engines. In order to 
mamtain our position and to take advantage of every opportunity, the engine 
telegraph was in constant use from full speed to stop, and the engine never 
failed to respond in the quickest time possible. This I consider io be due to 
the high state of efficiency of that department, and the whole credit is due to 
Passed Assistant Engineer Hall. 

I can make no statement regarding the services of Passed Assistant 
Surgeon Brownell, as the Petrel was most fortunate in having no casualties. 

I inclose the report of the executive officer. 

Very respectfully, E. P. Wood, 

Commander, U. S. N.^ Commanding. 

The Cotnmafider-in-Chief U. S. Naval Force, Asiatic Station. 

Report of the Boston. 

U. S. S. Boston, 2d Rate, 
Port Cavite, Manila Bay, May 3, 1898. 

Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken 
by this vessel in the late action with the Spanish fleet on the morning of 
May I. 

At daylight the merchant ships off Manila were seen, and soon after the 
Spanish fleet, close in to Cavite. This vessel was the sixth in the column 
and brought up the rear. Several shots were fired by the batteries in Manila, 
and two shots were given in reply. At 5 35 a.m. action with the enemy com- 
menced and was continued at varying distances, steaming in a circle, until 
7.35 A.M., firing with a fair degree of deliberation and accuracy. At times 
the smoke was dense, interfering very materially with manoeuvering and 
firing. 

The Spanish fleet and shore batteries replied vigorously, and an attempt 
was made with an improvised torpedo boat, but our fire was overpowering 
and the enemy received heavy damage and loss. In obedience to signal, I 
withdrew from action at 7.35 and gave the crew breakfast and rest. At i i.io 
the action was renewed and continued until the enemy ceased firing and his 
ships were all burned, sunk, or withdrawn behind the arsenal of Cavite. 

This vessel was struck four times by enemy's shot, doing no material 
damage. Our own fire destroyed three of our own boats and badly damaged 
three others. No casualties occurred. 

The conduct of officers and men on this trying occasion was of the very 
highest quality, and they bore- themselves with courage and spirit and entirely 



OFFICIAL REPORTS OF NAVAL COMMANDERS. 433 

to my satisfaction. It also gives me pleasure to bear witness to the courage 
and resolution of the Spanish fleet and to say that they defended themselves 
creditably. 

Very respectfully, Frank Wildes, 

Captain, U. S. N., Coinw.audiyig. 
The Commajidcr-in- Chief, Conunayiding U. S. Naval Force on Asiatic Station. 

U, S. Steamer McCulloch, 

Manila Bay, May 3, 1898. 

Sir: Regarding the part taken by this vessel in the naval action of 
Manila Bay at Cavite, on Sunday morning, May i, 1898, between the Ameri- 
can and Spanish forces, I have the honor to submit the following report : 

Constituting the leading vessel of the reserve squadron the McCulloch 
was, when fire opened, advanced as closely as was advisable in rear of our 
engaged men of war, in fact, to a point where several shells struck close 
aboard and others passed overhead, and kept steaming slowly to and fro, 
ready to render any aid in her power, or respond at once to any signal from 
the Olympia. A 9-inch hawser was gotten up and run aft, should assistance 
be necessary in case any of our ships grounded. At a later hour during the 
day, just prior to the renewal of the attack by our squadron, I intercepted the 
British mail steamer Esmeralda, in compliance with a signal from the flag- 
ship, communicated to her commander your orders in regard to his move- 
ments, and then proceeded to resume my former position of the morning, 
near the fleet, where I remained until the surrender of the enemy. I desire 
to state in conclusion that I was ably seconded by the officers and crew of my 
command in every effort made to be in a state of readiness to carr}'- out 
promptly any orders which might have been signaled from your flagship. 
Respectfully, yours, D. B. Hodgsdon, 

Captain, R. S. C, Commanding, 
Commodore George Dewey, U. S. N., 

Commanding U. S. Naval Force on Asiaic Station. 




CHAPTER XXVI. 
Our New Possessions and Their Industries. 

HOSE who have never traveled in the Orient have little conception 
of the luxuriance of tropical countries. Sun and rain are what 
make vegetation flourish, and in the absence of frost to kill or 
drought to blight nature puts on all her loveliness to adorn and 
enrich the teeming fruitfulness of the land. 

Many of the products of temperate zones are not found in the torrid, yet 
it may be questioned whether, with proper cultivation, as much profit may 
not be realized for the same amount of territory in a tropical clime as in one 
farther north. The climate is enervating in a hot country, and for this reason 
labor is not so active, and consequently not so productive. But large for- 
tunes have been accumulated in the Philippine Islands, and they present a 
wide field for enterprise to those who can endure the climate, which, it must 
be admitted, is very trying. 

Immense Resources. 

The War between Spain and the United States directed public attention 
to the Philippine Islands, and the victory of the United States naval squadron 
and land forces at Manila has emphasized the great resources of these islands. 
Under the circumstances, a general review of some of the industries of the 
islands will be interesting. 

In 1834, the port of Manila, the capital of the islands, was opened to 
resident foreign merchants, but before that date the Philippine Islands were 
little known in the foreign markets, and commercial centres of Europe. So 
decided was the spirit of exclusiveness and abhorrence of foreign intercourse 
that the Spaniards, in 1738, preferred a war with England to the fulfillment 
of a contract for freer commerce, entered into under the treaty of Utrecht. 
Before 1834, a Mr. Butler applied for permission to reside in and open up a^ 
trade between Manila and foreign ports, but the application was promptly 
rejected, though subsequently the American firm of Russell & Sturgis, hav- 
ing the support of the governor-general, made a similar application, which 
was successful, and since then many foreigners have settled in the open ports 
of the Philippine Islands for business purposes. Banks have been established 
and other agencies necessary to facilitate and promote trade are now a part of 
the business machinery of the islands. 
434 



OUR NFAV TERRITORIKS. 435 

During the reign of Isabella II. (1833-1868) a Philippine com was issued, 
and about the year 18C8 gold coin sold for less than the nominal value in 
silver, and as much as 10 per cent, was paid to exchange an onza of gold (S16) 
for silver. In 1878 gold and silver were worth their nominal relative value, 
and gold gradually disappeared from the islands, large quantities being 
exported to China. At the beginning of 1885 as much as 10 per cent, pre- 
mium was paid for Philippine gold of the Isabella II. or any previous coinage, 
but at the present day gold is obtainable in limited quantities and about the 
same rate as sight drafts on Europe. 

Manufacturing in the Philippines. 

The monetary crisis, attributed by some to the depreciation of silver, 
was experienced in the islands, and the Spanish Government added to the 
embarrassment by coining half dollars and twenty-cent pieces without the 
intrinsic value expressed. It was in consequence of such a false value that 
exchange fell lower, and in Spain the silver then coined was rejected by the 
Government officers and merchants, which still further impaired the interests 
of the islanders. The action of the Spanish Government was a retrograde 
movement. The coinage of a nation denoting its political condition, the 
deterioration of it indicates an age of decrepitude. 

The manufacturing industry of the islands is in its infancy, and the 
industrial arts have not been fostered. It may be said that cigars are about 
the only manufactured export staple, though occasionally some cordage, hides 
and a parcel of straw or finely split bamboo hats are shipped. In some of 
the provinces hats and straw mats are made, in others a rough cloth is woven 
from hemp fibre. 

These last are principally woven in the province of Yloilo, where also is 
made a muslin of pure pine leaf fibre, and a fabric of mixed pine-leaf and 
hemp filament. The province of Hocos has a reputation for its woolen and 
dyed cotton fabrics, and that of Batangas produces a special make of cotton 
stuffs. Pasig, on the river of that name, and Sulipan in Pampanga are locally 
known for their rough pottery. The centre of the white wood furniture and 
wood carving is Palte, the extreme east of Sagina de Bay. In Mariquina, 
near Manila, wooden clogs and native leather shoes are made, and the gold 
and silver workers are at Santa Cruz, a ward of IManila. In the more civil- 
ized provinces the native women produce pretty specimens of embroidery on 
European patterns, and, on a small scale there are centres of manufacture of 
straw bags, alcohol, bamboo furniture, buffalo hide, leather, wax candles, 
and soap. 

The first brewery was opened October 4, 1S90, in Manila, by Don Eniique 



436 OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 

Barretto. The manufactures indicated are supported by native capital, and 
the traffic and consumption being mostly local, the addition to the wealth of 
the islands is not large. Outside of the open ports there is little scope for 
the natives to profitably pursue the industrial arts, and whatever capacity 
they possess appears to be lost in the want of an opportunity under com- 
petent guidance. 

There is one railroad running from Manila to Dagupin, about 220 miles, 
built by a British company, called the Manila Railway Company, Limited; 
between Manila and Dagupin there are four railway stations. We have no 
statistics as to the earnings of the road, but the civilizing influence it exerts 
is quite evident, and shows that when the islands are properly governed, and 
modern industrial appliances are utilized, the personnel of the natives as well 
as the resources are capable of great improvement and development. 

Agriculture Past and Present. 

Agriculture has never flourished in the islands. Before competition in 
other colonies became so active there were fair remunerative returns from the 
cultivation of hemp and sugar, — the main staple products ; labor was then 
cheaper, as were the beasts for tilling the soil ; the necessities of the laboring 
classes were fewer, and though the aggregate production was not so large, the 
natives were in a sounder position than the same class are generally now. It 
would seem that in passing from the primitive to a more civilized state one 
may look back with fond regret to the simple wants of the former as com- 
pared with those of the latter. 

One of the causes of agricultural failure in the islands is the same which 
results in failure elsewhere. Some embark in agriculture with insufficient 
capital and end by becoming the slaves of the money lender, having them- 
selves to blame for want of foresight, but invariably blaming the one who 
loaned them money which they needed, and cursing the lender for the high 
rate of interest which they agreed to pay. 

Thus it is in the Philippine Islands as in other parts of the world, prov- 
ing that every departure from sound economic laws entails losses if not 
financial ruin. It is not so certain that the natives of the Philippines arc 
readier to begin work on insufficient capital and pay high rates of interest 
than the natives of more civilized lands, but a marked characteristic of the 
islanders is their indifference to adequate provision for crop failures. It is 
estimated that if all the Philippine planters had to liquidate within twelve 
months as many as 50 per cent, would be insolvent. 

The value of agricultural land is, of course, in proportion to its produc- 
tive capacity and its nearness to the open port. In the orovince of Manila. 



OUR NFAV TERRITORIES. 437 

land is usually higher priced, Manila being the capital and the largest, com- 
mercially, of the open ports. In the province of Bulacan, which adjoins that 
of Manila, an acre that produces 20 tons of cane would probably sell for ^i 15, 
while in a province more remote from Manila, the average value of land, 
yielding 20 tons per acre, would not sell for more than ^75 per acre. The 
finest sugar-cane producing island is the island of Negos, in the Visaya dis- 
trict, between 9° and n° N. latitude. The area of the island is about equal 
to that of Porto Rico, but it has never been made to yield its full capacity. 

How Sugar-Cane is Cultivated. 

The sugar estates are small, and from those inland the sugar is trans- 
ported to the open ports in buffalo carts. The system of planting is different 
from that prevailing in the West Indies. In the latter the planters set the 
canes out widely, leaving plenty of space for the development of the roots, and 
the ratoons serve from five to twenty years, while in the Philippines the setting 
of cane points is renewed each year, with few exceptions, and the planting is 
comparatively close. The system of labor in the northern and southern 
parts of the islands is different. The plantations in the north are worked on 
the co-operative principle. The estate is divided by the owner into tenements, 
each tenant being provided with a buffalo and agricultural implements to work 
and attend to the crop of cane as if it were his own property, and when cut 
and the sugar is worked off, the tenant receives one-third, and sometimes as 
much as one-half of the output. 

The cane crushing and sugar making are at the expense of the tenant, 
but the landowner furnishes the machinery and factory establishment and 
takes the risk of typhoons, inundations, droughts, locusts, etc. If the tenant 
has no means the landlord generally makes the necessary advances against 
the estimated value of the tenant's share. In the southern part of the islands 
the plantations are worked on the daily wages system. The sugar produced 
is of different grades and the price is according to grade. 

The staple food of the islanders is rice, which is cultivated more or less 
largely in every province, and is the only branch of agriculture in which the 
lower classes of natives take a visible pleasure and which they understand ; 
but much of the land formerly devoted to rice cultivation is now devoted to 
cultivating sugar-cane, which yields a more valuable return. 

Hemp is another staple industry. The hemp plant grows in many parts 
of the islands, and the leaves so closely resemble those of the banana that it 
is difficult to distinguish between them, those of the hemp plant being of a 
darker hue and greener. The plant appears to thrive best on an inclined 
plane, and though requiring a considerable amount of moisture, it will not 



438 OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 

thrive in swampy land, and must be shaded by other trees to attain any great 
height. The average height of the tree is about ten feet, and being endoge- 
nous, the stem is enclosed in layers of half-round petioles. 

Preparing Hemp for Shipment. 

The hemp fibre is extracted from these petioles which, when cut down, 
are separated into strips, five or six inches wide, and drawn under a knife 
attached at one end by a hinge to a block of wood, whilst the other end is ' 
suspended to the extremity of a flexible stick. The bow tends to raise ihe 
knife, and a cord, attached to the same end of the knife and a treadle, is so 
arranged that by a movement of the foot, the operator can bring the knife to 
work on the hemp petiole with the pressure he chooses. The la^t is drawn 
through between the knife and the block, the operator twisting the fibre, at 
each pull, around a stick of wood, while the parenchymatous pulp remains on 
the other side of the knife. The knife should be without teeth or indentations, 
but it often has a slightly serrated edge. The fibre is then spread out to dry 
and afterwards tightly packed in bales with iron and rattan hoops for ship- 
ment. 

Machinery has not been used with satisfactory results, and this is 
because the mechanical apparatus should be so arranged as to reduce the 
tension of the fibre in a strip of bast by means of a cylinder, though experi- 
ments have been and are being made, and some are more or less satisfactory. 
The plant is grown from seed or suckers ; if seed, it requires about four years 
to arrive at cutting maturity, and if from suckers, not more than three are 
rcquircu. The stem should be cut for fibre drawing at the flowering maturity, 
anti in no case should it be allowed to bear fruit, as the fibre is thereby weak- 
ened. As the fibre known as Manila hemp is a specialty of the islands, com- 
petition and overproduction to the extent of annihilating profits are remote. 

The cultivation of coffee dates from the early part of the present century, 
and some of the original trees are still alive and bearing fruit, but after 
twenty-five years the tree does not bear profitably. The best coffee comes 
from Sugon Island, embracing the provinces of Batangas, La Laguna and 
Cavite. There is one crop gathered in the Philippine Islands ; in the West 
Indies the beans are found during eight months of the twelve, and in Brazil 
there are three gatherings annually. 

The tobacco seed was introduced into the Philippines from Mexico by 
Spanish missionaries soon after the possession of the islands by Spain, and, 
from the islands, into the south of China, in the sixteenth or seventeenth cen- 
tury. The Spanish Government for a long time enjoyed a monopoly of the 
tobacco trade, but the monopoly ceased in 1882. and the cultivation and trade 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 439 

were handed over to a private enterprise. The Manila cigar nas a world 
wide reputation, and under improved cultivation the quality can be improved. 
In addition to tire industrial products named, the soil and climate of the 
islands are favorable to the cultivation of Indian corn, cotton, chocolate, and 
the bamboo, and all kinds of tropical fruit. It may be said that the Philip- 
pine Islands, under the rule of a just government and an intelligent system 
of cultivation, would become rich in mineral and agricultural products, and a 
valuable possession, strategically and otherwise. 

Admiral Dewey's Achievement. 

If the word failure was in Admiral Dewey's lexicon, it is only necessary 
to consider the position his naval squadron would have been in had the 
Manila engagement been indecisive, to conclusively show how important it is 
for the United States to own a base of operations in Asiatic seas and lands 
There was not a port in the whole of Asia where Admiral Dewey could have 
gone to refit his squadron had he met with a reverse. He was excluded by 
neutrality proclamations from every port, save that of his own brave and loyal 
heart, which is better than all, but no naval commander was ever so com- 
pletely isolated from his country as was Admiral Dewey when war was 
declared between Spain and the United States; and such a condition of affairs 
should never be allowed to exist again. 

The policy of isolation, which has long been the policy of the United 
States, to every proper extent ought to be abandoned for a policy that will 
safeguard American interests everywhere against all contingencies, for the 
most liberal and enlightened nation in the world cannot escape the responsi- 
bilities that attend liberality and enlightenment, and has no right to hide its 
light under a bushel. The rule of Spain in the Philippines is as oppressive as 
Spanish rule has been in Cuba, and both of these provinces should be freed 
from a despotism which has crushed the spirit and energy of the inhabitants. 

The sun, in his course, does not shine upon any lands of greater fertility 
than Cuba and the Philippine Islands, and upon none more capable of pro- 
portionately contributing to the necessities and comforts of mankind ; but 
under the government of Spain no progress has been made, and honest 
industry is denied the right of just returns. With Hawaii as a part of the 
United States, Cuba and the Philippines liberated from serfdom, and the Nica- 
ragua canal cut, the position of the United States would be commanding in 
both of the great oceans of the world, and enabled to foster commercial 
enterprises which, in all ages, have been promotive of free institutions. Other 
nations should not be allowed to monopolize commercial advantages which 
nature has placed nearest within our reach. 



440 OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 

The following synopsis of the report of Oscar F. Williams, the American 
Consul at Manila, on the trade relations of the United States and the Philip- 
pine Islands, will be interesting in this connection. He says that twenty-two 
consulates, representing the leading commercial countries of the world, are 
established at Manila. He adds this surprising statement : " The volume of 
the export trade coming under my official supervision equals that of my 
twenty-one consular colleagues combined." 

He then shows in detail how the trade of the Philippines with the United 
States exceeds that of all other countries combined, and is growing at a rapid 
rate. As indicating the extent of this trade, he says : " To-day I have authen- 
ticated invoices for exports to the United States amounting to ;$ 188,606." He 
says the exports to this country average ;^ 1,000,000 a month. The report 
states that 216,000 bales of hemp were exported during the preceding three 
months. Of these, 138,782 went to the United States and 77,218 to Great 
Britain and other countries. Mr. Williams shows from this that the United 
States had 64 per cent, of the trade from the Philippines as against 36 per 
cent, of Great Britain and other countries. He says that in 1897 the 
increase of shipments to the United States was 133,000 bales and the decrease 
of Great Britain 22,000 bales. 

He adds: "Of the increase of shipments from the Philippines, those to the 
United States were 54 per cent, greater than to all other countries combined." 

He also gives details of the large shipments of sugar, tobacco, hides, 
shells, indigo and coffee. In the item of sugar, which is second in import- 
ance, the shipments to the United States were 55 per cent, of the total to all 
points. Under a proper government the vast resources of the Philippines 
could be developed, and these tropical islands would become of great value 
and importance from a commercial point of view. What is needed is a stable 
and liberal government, a good system of education, and abundant capital for 
supporting industries. 

Statistics of the Philippine Islands. 

Area (square miles) 114,326. 

Topography 1,200 islands (Luzon largest). 

Character of soil Volcanic origin. Very fertile; vegetable growth often gigantic. 

Climate November to March, fresh and cool; from April to July, stifling 

heat. 

Rainy season July to October. 

Mean temperature 72 degrees. 

Products Hemp, sugar, coffee, copra, tobacco, indigo, teak, ebony, 

cedar, fruits, spices. 

Minerals Gold, coal, iron, copper, sulphur, vermillion. 

Industries .,,,,,.., AgriculturCj mining, grazing. 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 441 

Exports ('96) 122,000,000. 

Imports (96) $12,000,000. 

Shipping ('95) 304 vessels cleared principal ports. 

Telegraph (miles) 720. 

Railroads (miles) 220. 

Seaports Manila, Cavite, Iloilo. 

Revenue to Spain ('95) 113,280,130 (estimated). 

Expenditure by Spain .... ('95) ;fi5, 280,130 (estimated). 
.Pupulalion 7,670,000. 

'Prevailing races Malays, Chinese, savage tribes, comparatively few Spaniards 

Prevailing language Spanish and Chinese. 

Prevailing religion Roman Catholic. 

Education Of no importance. 

Capital, population Manila, 300,000. 

Largest city, population , . . Manila. 

Other cities, population . . . See seaports. 

Possession ot Spam since . . 1660 — Spanish rule acknowledged 1829. 

Rivers Very few, all small. 

Mountains Mayon, Buhayan (volcanoes). 

Animals Domestic and burden animals abundant, no wild animals. 

Phenomena Volcanic eruptions, typhoons, earthquakes. 

Wants Freedom from heavy taxation, schools, roads, harbors. 

Distance from Washington . Twenty-five days. 

The Hawaiian Islands. 

A study of this new territory reveals some interesting facts. The islands 
were discovered in 1720 by Captain Cook, an English navigator. For some 
abstruse reason, probably because they were too far away to be of anv service 
to any of her colonies, England never took possession of the islands. In 
fact, her course toward them has been one equivalent to the relinquishment 
of whatever rights she had to the islands. 

Since the islands were discovered attempts have been made to establish 
a government on them, once by an English body of colonists, and once by 
French colonists. Both, however, were abandoned in due course of time, 
neitho- the English nor French Government thinking it wise or worth while 
to give official sanction to the same. After awhile a monarchy arose, but a 
revolution, in which the good offices of the United States troops were found 
necessary, put an end to it. It was this revolution which made Queen Lil 
abdicate the throne. Later on, the government became a republic, and it 
comes into the United States as such. 

The Hawaiian Islands are 15 in number, are a little over 2,500 miles from 
San Grancisco. and have a coast over 800 miles long. Altogether they com- 
pri^^ about 6,640 square miles. The shortest distance between any of the 
isla.ids is five miles, while some of the islands are at least 25 miles apart. 



442 OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 

Five of the islands do not possess a single inhabitant. The chief island is 
Oahu, which contains 600 square miles, and has a population of 40,205. Upon 
this island is situated Honolulu, which is the seat of the government, or, in 
other words, the capital of the islands. The island is almost entirely given 
up to sugar plantations, in which at least 30,000 of its people are engaged. 

Only Fourteen Families. 

The Island of Neehau contains 97 square miles, and has a population of 
only 14 families. Ownership of it is claimed by an Englishman, who asserts 
that he bought it from the former king of the islands. It is given entirely to 
grazmg, and from 30,000 to 40,000 sheep are raised on it annually. The 
Island of Keani contains 590 square miles, and has a population of 15,392. 
There is a party of German colonists, who claim that they own the island, 
which is entirely given up to sugar plantations. 

The island that is probably best known throughout the world is Molo- 
kai. It comprises 270 square miles, and has a population of 2,307. It is a 
leper settlement, and over 1,200 of the residents are sufferers from leprosy. 
The island came into great notoriety several years ago through the death of 
the celebrated Father Damien, who, it will be remembered, contracted the 
dread disease while ministering to the spiritual and temporal needs of those 
who were afflicted with it. At the island of Maui, which contains 760 square 
miles, and which has a population of 17,726, are the immense sugar planta- 
tions of Claus Spreckles, the California sugar king. The island of Lauai 
contains 105 • people, who maintain themselves by grazing. Another large 
island is Hawaii, which consists of 4,210 square miles, and which has a popu- 
lation of 33,285. 

The chief product of the islands is sugar. Sugar forms 99 per cent, of 
the exports of the islands. In 1897 the sugar sent out from the islands 
amounted to the enormous total of 502,000,000 pounds. The population of 
the islands, according to recent statistics, is about 109,000. 

The Island of Guam. 

The Marianne or Ladrone Islands lie to the north of the western end of 
the Caroline band. They are physically associated with the Japanese Islands. 
This group has fifteen islands large enough to note. They aggregate about 
440 square miles and have about 10,000 inhabitants. The largest is Guam, 
with 200 square miles and 7,000 inhabitants. This island was captured and 
the United States flag was hoisted over it by officers and marines from the 
United States cruiser Charleston on June 2ist, 1898. The Charleston was on 
its way to join Admiral Dewey's squadron at Manila. 




CHAPTER XXVII. 

Admiral Dewey Homeward Bound. 

UR whole country hailed with enthusiasm the announcement that 
Admiral Dewey had fixed the date of his departure from the scene 
uf his triumphs, and would return to the United States. It was 
the universal desire of the people to give him a rousing welcome. 
His achievements were so brilliant, his wise discretion was so manifest, his 
conduct was so heroic and at the same time so modest and free from ostenta- 
tion, that all classes of our citizens were ready to unite in paying him the 
honor due to a conquering hero. 

On May 15th Professor Schurman, President of the Philippine Commis- 
sion, gave him a farewell banquet at Manila. The health of the Admiral was 
drunk with the utmost cordiality. 

Saluted with Guns and National Airs. 

On May 20th the cruiser Olympia, with Admiral Dewey on board, left 
Manila on her homeward journey to the United States. As she steamed 
away the Oregon, Baltimore and Concord fired an admiral's salute. At the 
first shot the band on the flagship's afterdeck played a lively air, and her 
white-clad sailors crowded the decks and gave a tremendous cheer. 

As the Olympia passed the Oregon the crew of that battleship gave nine 
cheers for the Olympians, who responded by throwing their caps so high that 
dozens of them were left bobbing in the wake of the cruiser. Then followed 
the noisiest half hour known in the harbor since the battle which linked its 
name with that of Dewey. 

The din of guns and brass bands echoed through the smoke, a fleet of 
steam launches shrieked their whistles, the musicians of the Baltimore played 
" Home, Sweet Home," her flags signaled " Good-bye," and those of the 
Oregon said "Pleasant voyage," 

The merchant vessels in the bay dipped their flags, the ladies on the 
decks of the vessels of the fleet waved handkerchiefs, and the great, black 
British cruiser Powerful, which lay the farthest out, saluted the Olympia. 
The latter's band then played " God Save the Queen," and to this the crew of 
the Powerful responded with hearty cheers for the Olympia. The last music 
heard from Admiral Dewey's ship was "Auld Lang Syne," while the guns 

443 



444 DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 

from the forts at Cavite and from the Monterey, on guard off Paranaque, too 
far to be audible, puffed white clouds of smoke. 

The Olympia was disappearing beyond Corregidor Island when a battery 
before the walled city spoke Manila's last word of farewell. Admiral Dewey 
sat on the deck of the Olympia and received the adieux of his friends during 
most of the day. The launch of Major-General Otis was the first to arrive 
alongside the cruiser at 7 o'clock in the morning, and afterwards the Admiral 
landed and called upon the Major-General and the United States Philippine 
commissioners. 

Admiral Dewey was enthusiastic over his home going, but when men- 
tion was made of the welcome to be extended to him, he said he appreciated 
the friendship of his countrymen deeply, but hoped they would not be too 
demonstrative. On it being said that people wanted him to go home by way 
of San Francisco and across the continent, the admiral replied: "If I was 
twenty years younger and had political ambitions I would not miss that 

chance." 

An Enthusiastic Welcome. 

When it was announced that the Admiral was about to return from 
Manila, one of our most influential journals said: 

" Admiral Dewey is the most universally wanted man in the history of 
the country. The people of every city in the Union want to give him a ban- 
quet, and a spontaneous outpouring of their hearty welcome, and the Mayors 
of the Western cities have united in a cablegram begging him to return by 
way of California, and thus traverse the continent in coming home. 

" Admiral Dewey is not only the most popular man in the country, but 
no one, in all the history of the past since Washington, has commanded such 
universal and sincere commendation from the American people. They are 
proud of him, not only because of his great victory at Manila, but they are 
specially proud of him because he ranks to-day confessedly as the first naval 
officer of the world, equally great in battle and in diplomacy, and the Ameri- 
can people must be very well satisfied with our President if the name of 
George Dewey does not command the Presidential nomination by a sponta- 
neous eruption of mingled pride and patriotism. If thus nominated, the party 
/leaders could go home and sit down in comfort, allow the campaign to take 
care of itself, and await the necessary preparations for the inauguration of the 
! next President." 

Prominent citizens of New York City were quick to act when it became 
known that Admiral Dewey was about to return, and sent a cordial invitation 
to him to accept the hospitalities of New York. To this invitation the 
admiral replied as follows: 



DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 445 

"Flagship Olympia, Manila, March 15, 1899. 
"Alfred Chasseaud, Esq.: 

" Dear Sir : I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your 
letter extending an invitation on the part of a committee from the best 
elements of the city of New York to a banquet in my honor. 

"Will you kindly say to the conuiiittee that it would give me much 
pleasure to meet them upon my return to the United States, but that at 
present it is impossible to state when such return will take place? 

" Thanking the committee and yourself for the trouble you have taken, 
and most sensible of the honor done me, I am, very sincerely, 

"George Dewey." 

Arrangements for a Great Reception. 

When it became certain that the Admiral would land in New York and 
would accept the invitation extended to him, the city officials took preliminary 
steps toward arranging for the reception. 

Controller Coler believed that it should be more than a New York affair. 
He suggested that all the important cities of the country be asked to 
co-operate in making it a reception that would go down in history. It was 
certain that Admiral Dewey was coming to New York, as he had accepted 
the invitation to the banquet, and Controller Coler was of the opinion that 
other cities would join in making it a national instead of a local affair. Con- 
troller Coler said : " We should give him a welcome such as was never given 
a hero before, and it is well to begin making plans early. Admiral Dewey is 
a modest man, and would probably prefer that there be little ceremony over 
his return. But there is another side — it is proper that he be given a recep- 
tion that will go down in history. It will inspire patriotism and be a lesson 
beneficial not only to ourselves, but to the children. The demonstration of 
the natioii's love for such a hero will make an impression which they will 
carry with them through life and which will go to make them good and use- 
ful men and women. Whether it is to be a local or national affair, I am in 
favor of the city contributing most liberally." 

Randolph Guggcnheimer, president of the Council and a member of the 
Board of Estimate and Apportionment, said : 

" Admiral Dewey is deserving of a reception such as was never given in 
New York before. We should carefully study as to how we can best show 
our appreciation of his noble services. There should be no sparing of money 
or pains to make our reception a most successful and memorable affair." 

Accordingly Mayor Van Wyck sent New York's official invitation to 
Admiral Dewey to come first to this port on his return home, that the people 



446 DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 

of the country might give him appropriate welcome. He also officially 
notified Secretary of the Navy Long of the proposed reception to the hero of 
Manila. The message Mayor Van Wyck sent to Admiral Dewey by cable 
was : 

" Mayor's Office, New York, May ii, 1899. 
" Admiral George Dewey, Manila : 

" The people of the city of New York desire an opportunity to officially 
welcome you on your return home. They earnestly request that you first 
reach America at the city of New York, the metropolis of the Western 
Hemisphere, where the fullest opportunity can be given the people of this 
country to do appropriate honor to the hero of the Spanish-American War. 

" Robert A. Van Wyck, Mayor." 

Warm Words of Praise from Roosevelt. 

Mayor Van Wyck suggested that the city government of New York 
make an appropriation of ;$i 50,000 for the reception. The State Legislature 
appropriated ^75,000 and Governor Roosevelt promptly signed the bill. The 
Governor's message was as follows : 

" I call to your attention the desirability of making an appropriation to 
provide for the proper celebration of the return of Admiral Dewey, an Ameri- 
can, whom all Americans worthy of the name delight to honor — the man who 
at the close of the nineteenth century has added fresh renown to the flag that 
has already so often been borne to glorious triumph in the land and on the sea. 

" The thunder of Dewey's guns in Manila Bay raised in a moment's 
time the prestige of American arms throughout the world and added a new 
honor to American citizenship at home and abroad ; and his services through- 
out the trying months that followed, though less brilliant, were hardly less 
useful to his country. 

" It is fitting that we should show in appropriate form the high regard 
we feel for the great admiral, and for every officer and sailor of his fleet ; that 
we should testify our appreciation of the debt under which this country lies 
to him and to them, and, indeed, to all their comrades in our forces afloat 
and ashore." 

The message was received by the waiting members with applause. 

Mr. John Barrett, former United States Minister to Siam, having seen 
Admiral Dewey shortly before leaving Siam to return to this country, was 
able to say authoritatively how the Admiral felt about his home-coming. 

"Admiration for Admiral Dewey is by no means confined to this 
country," said Mr. Barrett. " His achievements have caused the countries of 
the Far East to have a profound respect for him and for the United States. I 



DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 447 

made a trip through Cliina, Japan and into Siberia during the winter, and 
everywhere I found Dewey was spoken of with enthusiastic admiration. 
Germans, too, with whom I came in contact spoke of him in a laudatory way. 

" All the cities along the Suez route have been asking if they would not 
have a chance to see him. In returning to this country I came over the route 
Admiral Dewey will follow, and at every port we were asked if we knew 
when the Admiral was coming. You may rest assured that Admiral Dewey 
will seek to avoid a series of ovations. He already appreciates how the 
American people feel toward him, but the celebrating, or at least the part in 
which he will have to participate, ought to be done all at once. I know that 
he dreads the flood of invitations that will pour in on him after his arrival. 
He does not feel able physically to be feasted indefinitely. He is not a 
speech-maker, he is a man of action. If he says anything at a public dinner 
given in his honor I am sure it will be very brief" 

An effort was begun in the West to have Admiral Dewey return by way 
of San Francisco, and as soon as it was announced that he was about to start 
on his homeward voyage invitations from western cities began to pour in 
upon him. The representative of one of the large transcontinental railways 
called at the Navy Department in Washington and stated that if Admiral 
Dewey returned by way of San Francisco this railroad proposed to place at 
his service an entire train, the finest that ever crossed the continent, and make 
it subject to his wishes as to the places and time of stops on the way East. 

It was urged also that this would give practically the whole country an 
opportunity to join in the reception to the hero of Manila, instead of restrict- 
ing it to the stretch between New York and Washington. 

The Pacific Coast Honors Him. 

On May loth Mayor Phelan, of San Francisco, sent the following cable- 
gram : 
"Admiral Dewev, U. S. N., Flagship Olvmpia. Manila: 

"On behalf of our citizens, we, the mayors of Western cities, cordially 
invite you to return by way of San Francisco, across the great ocean which 
was the scene of your victory, and which you have opened to American 
•influence and trade. The Pacific coast cities feel especially grateful for the 
protection you afforded them. The Olympia was built in our yards, and the 
volunteers who answered your call are from Western homes. We are all 
eager to show our appreciation of your patriotic services, and would be hon- 
ored by your acceptance." 

The message was signed by the mayors of San Francisco. Chicago, 
Omaha, Denver, St. Paul, New Orleans. Portland, Los Angeles and Seattle. 



448 DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 

When it was learned that the Admiral would return by the Suez Canal 
and land in New York the mayors of the greater cities of the country rapidly 
agreed to the published suggestion that the reception of Admiral Dewey 
should be national, instead of local, in its character, and all of them promised 
their hearty support. Mayor Carter H. Harrison, of Chicago, regarded favor- 
ably the suggestion that the reception at New York to Admiral Dewey be 
made a national affair on the occasion of the triumphant return of the hero of 
Manila Bay. Regarding the matter Mayor Harrison said: 

" If Admiral Dewey comes home by the way of Suez and lands at New 
York, such a reception as proposed is a very proper thing to have. I would, 
of course, rather have the affair in Chicago, but if that is not possible I 
would be glad to have Chicago participate in the honors tendered the Admiral 
wherever he may land. Nothing is too good or on too large a scale for 
Admiral Dewey. On the invitation of the New York authorities I would 
immediately appoint a suitable committee of representative citizens and offi- 
cials to co-operate with others in tendering Admiral Dewey the honors 
due him." 

"As I have already stated," said Mayor Henry Ziegenheim, of St. Louis, 
regarding the proposed welcome to be extended to Admiral Dewey, on his 
return to this country, " I am in favor of making the demonstration the 
greatest of its kind the world has ever seen. Dewey is the hero of the cen- 
tury, and he is worthy of a welcome that will be national in character. If 
the affair is to be made general, St. Louis will, of course, send an official 
delegation of municipal and business representatives. We want to be the 
foremost in the movement, as becomes the rank of the city, and I for one will 
do all I can to further the plan. Other cities should take similar steps. 

From the Metropolis of the West. 

•' No matter where the reception is to be held, we will be represented. 
New York seems the most favorable point, and if the metropolis of the 
country is selected you can put me down as being in hearty accord with the 
arrangement." 

Colonel Frank L. Moores, Mayor of Omaha, was enthusiastically in 
favor of the suggestion that the reception to Admiral Dewey should be made 
a national affair. " I will see to it," said the Mayor, " that Omaha enters 
heartily into the spirit of the occasion, and as soon as plans are formulated 
from New York, Omaha's delegates will be appointed. The West desires to 
be represented, and the West cannot be properly represented without the 
presence of Omaha. I believe the people should be given the opportunit>' to 
express their appreciation of gallant services performed by the hero of Manila 



DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 440 

Bay, and T will be glad to contribute to the success in any way possible. 
Surely the reception should be national in the broadest sense of the word." 

Mayor Josiah Quincy. said: "I think it would certainly be fittint; th.it 
any reception to Admiral Dewey should be national in its character, and that 
representatives of the chief cities of the country should attend it." 

All the other principal cities expressed similar views, and it was plain i 
that the reception to the hero of Manila would be a national demonstration. ^ 
It could not be expected that he would be able to visit all the cities ready to 
welcome him, but all the towns could send representatives to New York to 
convey their greetings and express their appreciation of the great and distin- 
guished services the Admiral had rendered his country. 

A committee of 15CX) citizens was appointed by Mayor Van Wyck to 
manage the demonstration, and having called the committee together the 
mayor said : 

" The demonstration in honor of Admiral Dewey must assume such pro- 
portions as to convince the whole civilized world that in free America, where 
every citizen is a sovereign, the people know how to do honor to American 

heroes." 

The Whole Country Joins. 

S. B. Chittenden, who was Register of the Treasury under President Lin- 
coln, offered this resolution : 

" Whereas the fame of Admiral Dewey is the property of the nation 
and cannot be exclusively appropriated by any political party, State or riuni- 
cipality, therefore. 

" Resolved, That any attempt by any person or party, by contributions of 
money or otherwise, to establish a claim upon his gratitude or to secure his 
recognition would restrict his freedom of action, and deserves the severest 
reprehension of the American people. 

'' Re::olved, That His Honor the Mayor, in his efforts to extend to our 
victorious Admiral when his flagship anchors in our harbor a reception and a 
welcome which shall be strictly national, free from any taint of sect or party, 
in which all our people may unite, and which shall be alike worthy of the 
great naval commander of his time and of the greatest city on the Western 
Continent, shall have the firm and united support of this committee of her 
citizens." 

While these vast preparations for celebrating the Admiral's return were 
Toine on, he was turnin^i the prow of his ship westward on a leisurely voyage, 
intending to stop at important ports and arrive home after a trip lasting several 
months. 

For over a week before his departure from Manila it was known that he 



450 DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 

would visl!: the nort of Hong Kong, in which he was a prominent figure before 
the Spanish-American war, and as a consequence preparations had been made 
to give him a rousing reception. In all the public buildings of the city and 
in a majority of the business houses and residences there were elaborate and 
tasteful decorations, while all, or nearly all, the ships of almost all nationali- 
ties that lay quietly at anchor in the harbor were clothed in gay bunting from 
(Stem to stern. Wherever an American flag could be obtained it was eagerly 
seized upon and lifted proudly to the breeze, in most cases in immediate 
proximity to the Union Jack of old England. 

It was during the cool hours of the morning that the Olympia steamed 
slowly in from sea and dropped anchor almost opposite the Government 
House. As usual a large number of people promenaded the esplanades look- 
ing on the harbor. Scarcely a breeze fanned the air, and while all was bustle 
on the wharves the town itself was enjoying the quiet hours of the day. 
Suddenly the booming of cannon from war-ships and forts announced the 
Olympia's arrival, and with little wreaths of smoke curling upwards from her 
port and starboard guns the flagship of Admiral Dewey was discerned feeling 
her way through a perfect forest of sea-going craft to her anchorage nearer 
the town. 

Cordial Welcome at Hong Kong. 

A glorious welcome — a welcome sincere, spontaneous and whole-hearted 
was given her. Forts vied with warships in burning powder, every steam 
craft at the wharves or in the harbor blew her whistle, and as she steamed 
slowly to her anchorage the flag of almost every nation in the globe was 
dipped to the Stars and Stripes. The rigging of every ship was crowded with 
jack tars, from the Englishman to the Lascar. 

At 1 1 o'clock the launch of the Olympia shot from the warship's port 
side and steamed rapidly landward. It contained Admiral Dewey, Captain 
Lamberton, Commander of the Olympia; Lieutenant Brumby and Rounse- 
velle Wildman, the United States Consul General at Hong Kong, who had 
boarded the warship immediately on her arrival. The admiral's visit ashore 
was for the purpose of paying his respects to Sir Henry A. Blake, the Gover- 
nor of Hong Kong, whom Dewey had known when Sir Henry was Governor 
of Jamaica. 

The Custom House landing was a mass of people when Admiral Dewey 
set his foot ashore. The Royal Welsh Fusilliers formed the guard of honor, 
and there was also present a detachment of marines. When the Admiral 
landed the regimental colors of the warriors of the little principality of Wales 
were presented and the government band struck up the strains of " The Star* 



DEWF.Y HOMEWARD BOUND. 4."T 

Spangled Banner." People cheered tliemselves hoarse, and it was with diffi- 
culty they could be kept back from the rush. 

The meeting between Admiral and governor was a most cordial one, and 
after a half hour's stay at the Government I lou-^e the former returned to his ship» 
which was shortly afterwards visited by the governor and his staff. Sir Henry 
courteously placed the Government House at Admiral Dewey's disposal dur- 
ing his visit. This hospitality the Admiral was forced to decline, as owin gto 
the condition of his health he preferred to reside while in Hong Kong in a 
house on one of the peaks adjoining the city, where the atmosphere is much 
cooler. For the same reason, and much to the regret of the governor and 
his official family, he declined a pressing invitation to attend a dinner at the 
Government House in honor of the Queen's birthday. 

The United States cruiser Olympia, with Admiral Dewey on board, 
arrived at Colombo, Ceylon, at 6 o'clock a.m., June 22, saluted the forts 
ashore and was saluted by the latter in return. An aide-de-camp, repre- 
senting the governor of Ceylon, Right Hon. Sir Joseph West Ridgeway, 
boarded the Olympia at 7 o'clock in order to welcome Admiral Dewey, and 
Colonel Savage, commanding the troops, called at 10 o'clock. 

Colombo in Brilliant Array. 

The visits were returned by Admiral Dewey at 11 o'clock. He was 
received at the jetty by a guard of honor and, amid cheering, drove in the 
governor's carriage to breakfast with Colonel Savage. The Admiral after- 
wards booked rooms at the Galloface Hotel and returned on board the 
Olympia at I o'clock. There he received a deputation representing the 
Planters' Association and the Chamber of Commerce, and was presented 
with a silver casket and an address as a memento of his visit. 

The presentation of the casket to Admiral Dewey was made on board 
the 01ymj)ia instead of in the council chamber, because his doctor had for- 
bidden him to participate in any official function. The delegates also pre- 
sented a thousand pounds of tea to the crew of the Olympia. 

The Admiral, replying to the address of welcome, said he wished he 
could reply in adequate terms, reciprocating the sentiments expressed. But, 
he added, he spoke from his heart when he said he deeply appreciated the 
welcome. Admiral Dewey added that he would have the ver>' acceptable 
present of tea distributed as desired, incidentally mentioning that he was a 
life-long tea-drinker himself, and assuring the delegation that the address 
would be read at "muster" and afterwards framed and preserved. The 
casket, he remarked, he would always keep on his table, and would report 
the matter to his government and describe the cordiality of his reception, 



452 DEWEY HOMEWARD BOUND. 

Continuing, Admiral Dewey remarked: "That cheer raised on the jetty 
when I landed went to the hearts of all of us. We are fourteen thousand 
miles from home, but that cheer will be heard in America, although the 
way in which it has touched me I shall never be able to fully express. 

" The two nations were never so closely allied by mutual sympathy and 
appreciation as now. The American people realized this during the late war, 
and you can imagine how all those who were at Manila and met Sir Edward 
Chichester (commander of the British first-class cruiser Immortalite) and his 
gallant comrades, hold that feeling very deeply." 

The same cordial welcome greeted the Admiral at every port he visited 
on his voyage home. It was a continuous series of ovations, the officials of 
the various nations vying with one another to honor him and express their 
cordial feeling toward the United States. He accepted the demonstrations as 
intended not merely for himself, but for his brave men and the flag under 
which they fought. 




CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Construction and Equipment of Our Great Battleships. 

HE putting together of a modern warship is certainly interesting 
enouf^h to attract attention, but in the old order of things its very 
familiarity has made our shipyards very little frequented, save on 
some gala occasion, such as a launch. Then the battleship is seen 
as it nears completion, but no idea is gained of the stages through which it 
passes to reach that point. It is worth one's while to spare a moment to 
gain an insight into the general methods of procedure in building, and to 
follow the evolution of the craft from its planning to its completion. 

The evolution of a battleship starts in the mould loft, when the future 
vessel is laid off to her full size to enable those responsible for the work to 
test the accuracy of the drawings and gauge with exactitude the quantities of 
various material which will be required. 

Wonderful Engineering Skill, 

The laying-ofif and coincident preparation of the framing occupy some 
considerable time, but after two or three months of preparation all is ready 
and the slipway on which the leviathan is to grow is prepared for the laying 
of the keel, an operation requiring the greatest possible care, inasmuch as the 
least deviation from the line shown in the drawings would materially interfere 
with the navigable quality of the completed ship. 

The keel satisfactorily laid, the next process consists in the building up 
of the great ribs destined to support the vessel's skin and armor, and to give 
her form and strength, and the framing and heavy .steel deck beams, which 
have been prepared in the smith's shop, are brought alongside the slips and 
one by one attached to the keel and united by cross pieces which keep them 

in position. 

A week or two sees the framework strung together, and the future iron- 
clad looms in the air, when viewed from the sloping ground, like a Brobding- 
nagian toast rack. After careful in.spection and minute investigation of every 
angle and ever>^ joint, the skin of the battleship is brought from the steel works 
in the form of square sheets of hard metal, each accurately pierced at frequent 
intervals in places proper to the reception of rivets, and these are affixed to 
the framing until the whole is closed in. and the toast rack becomes a hull. 

453 



^54 CONSTRUCTION OF OUR GREAT BATTLESHIPS. 

The plating completed, the process is continued by the fixing of the armor, 
the quantity and position varying in different cases. 

And it is worthy of note that the armor is the most costly constituent of 
the completed battleship. The most improved form of armor-plate is made 
of Harveyized nickel steel, capable of infinitely greater resistance than any 
other substance known, but making up for its extra hardness by a fully pro- 
portionate increase in cost. 

The thickness and size of the plates vary in different parts of the ship, a 
fair average being 14 feet by 7 feet, with a thickness of 4^ inches, and the 
first cost of such a plate is at present over ^5000. As from three to four 
hundred similar plates are required for the armor of a full-sized battleship, 
it will be understood that this item plays a very important part in naval 
estimates. 

The period requisite for the achievement of the various processes enu- 
merated averages about three months from the laying of the keel, or six from 
the receipt of orders, and as soon as the armor is completed and the plating 
of the decks, which has been in progress the while, accomplished, the hull is 
ready for launching, and amid a profuse display of bunting, the gigantic hull, 
with its 400 feet of length, glides down the greased ways and takes to the 
element on which her future influence is to be felt. 

The Launching of a Warship. 

The launching of a man-of-war marks the middle point in her evolution. 
The remaining processes occupy approximately the same length of time as 
those which have gone before. They commence with a fitting of the wooden 
decks, the construction of the numerous bulkheads, building up of the turrets, 
cradles and shields, erection of the magazines, and fitting of ammunition lifts 
and torpedo tubes. While these operations are in progress between decks, 
the boilers and machinery are lowered into their places in the hold. 

While the " black squad " are engaged in making day hideous with the 
clang of rivet-driving, the carpenters take possession of the officers' and men's 
quarters, and fit them up in accordance with the details of the original plans. 
And then the guns, huge and bright, monster messengers of death con- 
structed with devilish ingenuity, are brought out from the ordnance factory 
and slung into their appointed turrets, or barbettes, while the smaller quick- 
firing and machine guns are allotted their several destinations. 

Then comes the last stage, excepting for the final overhaul, and the ship 
is coaled and taken down the river and out to sea for her series of trials, first 
for the satisfaction of the constructors, later on for the criticism of inspectors 
representing her purchasers. And it is a wonderful thing how rarely it 



CONSTRUCTION OF OUR GREAT BATTLESHIPS. 455 

happens that the newly-created battleship fails to perform any of the functions 
stipulated for in the original contract. 

The trials over, the leviathan returns to the yard for a final rub-up, her 
magazines are charged with shot and shell, her cabins receive their furniture 
her pantries their crockery, and, complete to the minutest detail, she is 
handed over to the official who attends for the purpose, a new factor in the 
naval effectiveness of nations. 

The cost of a vessel such as that above referred to, assuming a measure- 
ment of 14,000 tons and a speed of 20 knots, will average about $4,500,000, 
proportioned as follows: armor, $1,750,000; hull, $1,500,000; machinery, 
1^375.000; guns and torpedo tubes, $500,000, and her building will give 
employment to from 800 to 900 workmen. 

Of the battleships in the United States Navy doing good service in the 
prosecution of the war the Cramps are responsible for the Iowa, the largest 
and most formidable of our battleships ; the Indiana and the Massachusetts, the 
Baltimore, the Philadelphia, the Newark and the Terror, the Yorktown, and 
the Vesuvius and the Yantic. To these must be added the Alabama, a mon- 
ster of destruction. This is indeed a formidable array. In addition to the 
American navy, which has been supplied from the big yard, other navies 
have complimented its skill by orders, as the Kasagi, for Japan, and the con- 
tracts with Russia testify. 

The Gigantic Majestic. 

The biggest battleship in the world is in the British navy, the Majestic. 
It outclasses any ship afloat in tonnage, armament and armor, although its 
destructive power remains still to be displayed. Another English-built 
monster is the unarmored battleship constructed at the Elswick Yards at New- 
castle, England, for the imperial Japanese navy. The monster has a displace- 
ment of 15,000 tons and a phenomenal speed, which, it is said, makes her the 
most formidable vessel afloat. 

The length of this imposing battleship is rather over 400 feet, and her 
extreme breadth 75 feet, 6 inches ; she draws only 27 feet of water, and 
carries 1,500 Ions of coal, this being more than is possible in any existing 
man-of-war. The armament of the unnamed monster is very similar to 
the Majestic, comprising four 12-inch and fourteen 6-inch guns, twenty 
l2-pounders, twelve 3-pounders and five torpedo tubes. Her keel was laid 
on January 10 last. 1898. The contract price of the stupendous battleship is 
reported to have been enormous, while it is said her armor-plating alone cost 
close on to $2,500,000. 

The Elswick yards built a formidable monster, the O'Higgins, for Chili. 



456 CONSTRUCTION OF OUR GREAT BATTLESHIPS. 

The Elswick yards are the largest in the world. In recent warfare they 
have been the parent of the bulk of the combatants on both sides. At the 
battle of the Yalu no fewer than four of the Japanese and five of the Chinese 
fleet were Elswick-built, and a remarkable feat was performed after the battle 
by the Yoshino, which went for twenty-four hours at forced draught at a 
stretch. Notwithstanding the immense strain caused by this feat, the Yoshino 
was not in the least affected. 

It is only a question of time, however, when American yards will take their 
place beside the English in shipbuilding. The formidable craft turned out are 
recommendation enough, and the Russian battleships built in America will not 
be the last contracted for by a foreign country. 

In every engagement which permits their use, we read of the effective 
work done by the 4-inch guns. The main batteries of all the gunboats in the 
navy are made up of 4-inch rapid-fire rifles, which are altogether the most 
popular weapons in the service for offensive and defensive purposes on the 
lighter vessels. The Castine, the Helena, the Machias, the Nashville and the 
Wilmington are each equipped with eight of these guns, while the Annapolis, 
the Marietta, the Newport, the Princeton, the Vicksburg and the Wheeling 
each mount six of them. The Bancroft relies upon four, and the Dolphin 
upon two as their chief fighting powers. 

Batteries and Guns. 

Even the formidable Iowa has six of them upon her superstructure to 
deter the approach of torpedo-boats, and the armored cruiser New York 
mounts twelve in her secondary battery. The fastest two vessels in the navy, 
the Columbia and the Minneapolis, have eight apiece, and the double-turret 
monitor Puritan is provided with six to support her four 12-inch monsters. 
The chief advantage of these guns lies in their extreme rapidity of fire and 
ease of manipulation, while their penetrating power at all ranges enables 
their projectiles easily to pierce all unarmored cruisers and lightly protected 
gun positions. 

This gun of four inches calibre weighs, without its mount, one and one-half 
tons, or exactly 3,400 pounds. Its length is 13.7 feet, and its greatest outside 
diameter is 13 inches, its total length of bore being 157.5 inches, and the 
length of rifle bore 128.12 inches. The twist of its rifling begins at zero and 
increases to I in 25, there being 30 grooves. It fires a 33-pound shell with 
14 pounds of smokeless powder, which develops a muzzle velocity of 2,000 
feet a second and a muzzle energy of 915 foot tons. Such a shot will per~ 
forate a seven-inch plate near the muzzle and will go clear through a five-inch 
plate at 1,500 yards' distance. Ordinary crews on all the gunboats get a 



CONSTRUCTION OF OUR GREAT BATTLESHIPS. 457 

rapidity of fire of six a minute out of these four-inch rifles, four men hand- 
ling the ammunition, while two sight the piece and fire it. 

This speed enables a four-inch gun to throw as much weight in a given 
time as the five-inch rifle, which is practically twice its size, the latter weigh- 
ing three tons and firing under the best conditions four 50-pound shells in a 
minute. The best penetration of the five-inch rifle is barely an inch more 
than that of the four-inch at all ranges, but in ten minutes the four-inch gun 
will throw 60 well-aimed shots, while the five-inch cannot be relied upon to 
throw more than 30. 

Mention is often made during these war-like days of the great speed of 
projectiles fired from modern guns. The velocity ranges from 1,500 to 3,000 
feet per second. It is computed that the average velocity of the larger guns 
on the cruiser New York is 2.100 feet per second. To the uninitiated the 
way in which this is found out should be of interest. In the first place it may 
be stated that one cannot time a projectile as one would a horse. Some of 
them can be seen as they rush through the air. It is a favorite amusement 
during the battery drill with the old seacoast guns at West Point to stand 
behind and slightly above the gun and watch the projectile from the moment 
it leaves the muzzle until it strikes the target painted on old Crow's Nest 
Mountain, about a mile- away. 

Sharp Eyes Can Trace the Shell. 

Spectators with good cyc-sight can also see the shell fired from the larger 
mortar rise to the height of its course and then descend with a rush upon the 
mountain top, a mile and a half away, where it bursts into many pieces. It 
is reported that during the bombardment of Santiago the shells of the cruiser 
New Orleans could be followed by the eye. This was largely due to the use 
of smokeless powder, which permitted clear vision. 

But in case of smaller projectiles, with greater velocity, it is impossible 
to see them during a fight. But whether they can be seen or not, it is quite 
out of the question to time them as one would a race, by simply using the 
eye and a stop-watch. The least hesitation in pushing the spring would make 
a difference of hundreds of feet in the distance traveled. Errors such as these 
would make the results of no practical value. Our small arm shoots a bullet 
only one-third of an inch in diameter, which travels 2,000 feet in a second, or 
a mile in three. It goes so fast that it becomes hot to the touch, due to the 
resistance of the air which it pushes aside. Strange to say, the heated bullet 
will cauterize the wound of its own making, and few of the wounded in our 
war with Spain will bleed to death unless struck in a vital spot. 

The projectile has, besides the forward velocity, a rotational velocity, 



458 CONSTRUCTION OF OUR GREAT BATTLESHIPS. 

which is given to it by the rifling of the gun. Otherwise, i.ince its length is 
much greater than its diameter, it would soon begin to turn end on. The 
rifling prevents this by causing the bullet to bore a path through the air, and 
the higher the forward velocity the higher, too, must be the rotational. The 
turning over and over would destroy the range and the accuracy of the gun. 

The determination of the forward velocity is now made with extreme 
accuracy. The knowledge of it is of the utmost importance to military 
science. The following method is the one adopted by all nations for finding^ 
the velocity of a projectile at any point of its path after leaving the muzzle of 
the gun. It is so simple that a brief explanation of it will make it intelligible to 
all. Two screens, so closely strung with copper wire that a projectile in pass- 
ing through must break one or more of the strands, are placed fifty yards 
apart. The wire on each screen is connected with a battery which sends a 
current through it, and two instruments, one called a disjunctor, the other the 
chronograph. Although both circuits pass through these instruments, yet 
they are kept distinct and separate. 

The chronograph answers the purpose of a stop-watch of the greatest 
accuracy. Two bars are held up by the electric magnrts ; the currents flowing 
in one magnet also flow through its respective screen, while the current of the 
other passes through the second screen. The disjunctor is an instrument 
which is used to break both circuits at the same instant. 

The Process Described 

As soon as this is done, the bars fall, since the electro-magnets cease to 
act when there is no current flowing through them. The bar connected with 
the first screen falls upon a small platform, which releases a wedge-shaped 
piece of metal. This strikes the bar connected with the second screen, leaving 
a wedge-shaped slit in it as a line of reference during the experiments. 

This being done, the currents are established again and the rods placed 
once more under the influence of the electro-magnets. Let a 3.2-inch rifle 
whose muzzle velocity is to be found be placed in front of the first screen. 
The gun is aimed, fired, and its projectile passes quicker than the roar of the 
discharge through the first screen, some of its wires ; in another instant it is 
through the second screen, destroying its electric current, and at lasts finds a 
resting place in some distant sand pile. The break in each circuit is communi- 
cated to all parts of the line instantly. If the times at which both occur can 
be determined the problem is solved. 

For instance, let the time it took to pass over the fifty yards be .075 of a 
second. Then dividing the one by the other gives 2,000 feet per second as the 
v^elocity of the projectile. The time is found by accurately measuring the 



CONSTRUCTION OF OUR GREAT BATTLESHIPS. 459 

distance between the first dent, the origin, and the second dent, caused by the 
projectile breaking the circuits at different times. 

To illustrate the principle involved : If the projectile be of low velocity 
the distance will be greater than if it traveled at a high rate of speed, since 
the first rod would have a longer time to fall before the second starts. If the 
distance be, say, one inch, then from the law of falling bodies the time for that 
fall can readily be found, and this will be the time it took the projectile to 
travel over the fifty yards between the screens. Expressed mathematically, 
this law is that the time of fall is equal to twice the distance of fall divided by 
gravity. 

So accurate is this determination that the velocity of the swiftest projec- 
tile can be found to the fraction of a foot. This means the measurement of 
time to the thousandth part of a second — a fraction too small to comprehend. 
The trajectory of a projectile is the path it travels, and the way of discovering 
it is simple. Screens are put up in line at intervals of lOO yards. These are 
covered with target cloth and are so built that they can be raised or lowered 
by ropes running over pulleys, which are in the framework that supports the 
screens. 

The rifle is put in a vise, the muzzle being at the same height as the dis- 
tant bull's eye. Upon the discharge of the gun the bullet will leave a hole in 
each screen, and from these its trajectory is easily deduced and transferred to 
paper. It is partly on account of these flat trajectories that such terrible loss 
of life is expected in a great war. 




CHAPTER XXIX. 

The Chief of the United States Detectives Tells How He 

Captured the Spies of Spain. 

^N May 26th Lieutenant Ramon Carranza wrote from Montreal to a 
friend : " We have had bad luck, for they have captured the two 
best spies, one in Washington — who hung himself or whom they 
hung — and the other, day before yesterday in Tampa. There is 
extraordinary vigilance on the part of the Americans." 

Carranza directed the operations of the Spanish spies from Montreal, 
until ordered out of Canada by the English government, and his tribute to the 
American Secret Service was deserved. The important work of these Ameri- 
can agents is best told by John Elbrot Wilkie, chief of the Secret Service, 
who himself prepared the following article : 

" It is hardly necessary to say that such a tribute to the efficiency of the 
American Secret Service from a judge so well informed as the former naval 
attaclje of the late Spanish Legation was highly gratifying to those of us who 
had been lying awake nights trying to make trouble for the Spanish agents. 
But as our activity was simply a reflex action, due to the tireless energy of 
the zealous subjects of the boy king, Lieutenant Carranza will have to bear 
part of the responsibility for the watchfulness which he so gracefully com- 
pliments. 

" As the mysterious is always attractive, and as much secrecy necessarily 
was observed in the operations of this branch of the government service, curi- 
osity concerning its work has been generally manifested. There are, however, 
many matters associated with its administration which cannot properly be 
made the subject of publication. 

" Possibly the very thing about which one wishes most to know may not 
be touched upon in this paper. If so, it is doubtless because that particular 
thing is one about which the writer may not write. 

" When it became apparent that a conflict with Spain was inevitable steps 
were taken, under the advice of Secretary Gage and Assistant Secretary Van- 
derlip, to organize an auxiliary force of the Secret Service division of the 
Treasury Department. This was necessary because the regular force of that 
branch of the government is maintained by an appropriation which may be 
drawn upon only for the expenses incurred in the suppression of counterfeit- 
ing. As soon as the defence fund became available, the President made a pre- 
liminary allotment of ^5,000 for our use. and some weeks later increased thi« 
460 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN 461 

by ^50,000, which, it was estimated, would be sufficient to maintain the forc« 
for several months. 

" The publication of the fact that there had been a special allotment for 
an addition to the secret service made it wholly unnecessary to advertise for 
men. The applications during the first thirty days exceeded a thousand, and 
the pressure for appointment became embarrassing; but the peculiar nature of 
the work the men would have to do made it essential that they should be 
thoroughly familiar with Spanish. This quickly disposed of more than ninety 
per cent, of the applicants, and of the remainder there were few who possessed ^ 
the other qualifications — detective experience, rugged health, strength, cour- 
age and enthusiasm 

There's No Money In It 

" It is morally certain that when the force was completed there was not a 
man among them who was there for what there was ' in it,' the pay being four 
dollars a day and traveling and living expenses, the latter being limited to 
three dollars a day. With one exception they were under forty years of age. 
All of them fairly bubbled over with loyalty, were determined to make a 
record, and were prepared for any emergency that might arise. 

" It may surprise a great many persons to know that the auxilliary force 
of the Secret Service during the war was smaller than the local staff of a large 
metropolitan newspaper; but as the men were unusually intelligent and re- 
liable, it was possible to satisfactorily cover the country with a comparatively 
small number of operatives. 

''Thanks to a patriotic public, the division was early supplied with much 
information relating to suspicious strangers. A realization of the danger to 
the country from these internal enemies placed every one on the alert, and 
letters fairly poured into the office. Most of them were founded on trivial 
suspicion, but more than a thousand of the 'suspects' reported by mail were 
investigated. The greater number of these were found to be persons who 
were injudicious in expressing sentiments not entirely loyal, but only when 
they went so far as to threaten what they would do if they had an opportunity 
were they warned that they were simply making trouble for themselves. 

"When it was possible the men were kept at headquarters in Washington 
for some time before being assigned to independent work outside, and as the 
capital was a prolific field for mysterious foreigners, there was an excellent 
opportunity to test the ability of the agents in various ways, especially' in the 
important matter of 'shadowing,' a fine art in itself They were also enabled 
to obtain a general idea of their duties, but such an arrangement was not 
always convenient. 

" However it is pleasant to record but one failure. In that particular case 



462 THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 

I was unable to foresee the exact conditions under which the agent would 
have to work, and explicit advance instructions were impracticable. The man 
was unable to grasp the situation when he reached his station, and had to be 
replaced. 

In Touch with Washington. 

' " Each operative was provided with a cipher code for telegraphic pur- 

poses, and when his territory had been assigned was expected to keep in 
constant touch with Washington. In my private office at headquarters I had 
a large map of the United States, mounted in a flat cabinet, and by means of 
small numbered flags attached to steel pins was able to locate every man on 
the force at a glance. 

" Montreal, Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Newport 
News, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, Key West, Mobile, New Orleans, 
Galveston, San Francisco and the army camps were the principal points of 
activity. 

" Tampa was a particularly lively district, for in addition to the Secret 
Service men in the field there a branch of the Military Information Bureau, 
under the jurisdiction of the War Department, was maintained, and during 
the latter part of the war was useful in looking after thefts of army stores, 
deserters and military offenders of all classes. Montreal was a good second 
in the matter of activity, though there were times when Washington led 
them all. 

" Occasionally, whe.j the pressure was particularly heavy, it became 
necessary to detail the regular members of the division to run out certain 
lines of investigation, their expenses at such times being defrayed from the 
defence fund. Of the thousand or more * suspects ' something over six hun- 
dred men and women were at one time or another under close surveillance for 
varying periods, among them professors, diplomats, doctors, merchants, cigar- 
makers, mariners, electrical experts, government employees of foreign birth and 
uncertain antecedents, capitalists, milliners, dressmakers, society women and 
servants. Every man in the service was required to make a detailed daily 
report covering his operations, and there were revealed a great many interest- 
ing things that had nothing whatever to do with the Spanish-American war. 

" Most of the applications for appointment, which came from every State 
in the Union, and from England, Canada and Mexico as well, bore evidences 
of having been written by intelligent men, actuated by a loyal ambition to 
serve their country. About half of them were addressed to the War Depart- 
ment, but there being no Secret Service in that branch of the government 
they were referred to the Treasury Department for consideration. 

" Many of the writers confessed to an absolute ignorance of detective 



THE SPIKS OF SPAIN. 4G.3 

work, and apparently overlooked the fact that we were dealing with a foe 
whose language was not our own; but among the hundreds and hundreds of 
letters there were many whose authors were even more at sea as to the general 
qualifications necessary fur the work. 

" One man advanced the statement that he had been married four times 

possibly to emphasize the fact that his courage was beyond question. Another 
pointed out that, being the fortunate possessor of ' Spanish whiskers,' he 
could work among the enemy with absolute safely. As an example of the 
queer applications received the following is a gem well worth quoting: 

" ' i wood be glad to render my servises to the guvernmcnt at aney time 
or in aeny capassity that i might be abel to do i am a man 42 years of age 
and traveled quite a grate deal and at the present travel and get in with ail 
classes of peopel my occupation is sharpening saws for butchers or aney 
body else that has them to so i get amung all classes of peopel i usue 2 lan- 
gwages german and the american or english spoken langwage as for writeing 
you can see for yurself.' 

"The early establishment of a 'crank ' box was a necessity, hardly a day 
passing without a letter or two from some irresponsible visionary or out and 
out lunatic. There were stacks of anonymous communications threatening 
death and destruction to every one connected with the 'unholy ' war, and 
scores of suggestions from demented persons who had 'inspired' plans for 
the annihilation of all Spanish emissaries. Then there was a class of cranks 
with hallucinations that they were being dogged by Spanish spies and in 
danger of assassination, while others had overheard plots to blow up the 
President and public buildings. 

Cranks were Numerous. 

" Where such letters were signed and it was possible to locate the writers 
the matter was always investigated, but in no instance was the author found 
to be a responsible person. Not all the cranks stopped at writing to the de- 
partment. Many of them called at the office and were led gently away, 
and introduced to the guards at the doors of the Treasury Building and there- 
after refused admittance. One enterprising woman succeeded in getting in 
ito see me, however, with a unique scheme to ascertam the identity of the 
leading Spanish agents in this country. 

This is my plan,* she said enthusiastically, after introducing herself. 
'As soon as you engage my services I shall go to New York and look about 
among the theatres until I find where the most patriotic audiences gather. 
Then at one of the evening performances, when they are all cheering for the 
United States, I shall stand up m my seat and cry, 'Spain forever! Hurrah 



1G4 THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 

for Alphonso!' Of course I sliall be arrested, and the matter will get into the 
papers, and I will be visited by the friends of Spain, who will be convinced 
that I am a sympathizer. So, gradually, I shall be able to worm my way into 
their confidence until I shall have gained all their secrets. Now won't that 
be lovely?* 

" The chances being that if she tried it the audience might not leave- 
enough of her to sympathize with, and as she looked as if her children might 
need attention, she was advised to go home. She departed reluctantly, 
thoroughly convinced that the government was making a fatal mistake in 
declining her services. 

" When the 'emergency men,' as the temporary employes of the division 
were termed, were instructed in the use of the cipher code they were told that 
in communicating with headquarters they should use, instead of my name, 
'John Ehlen,* which I had registered with the telegraph companies. This 
was simply a precautionary measure intended to protect the operatives by 
eliminating the chance that some one might discover the message was for the 
Secret Service, identify the sender as a member of the division, and destroy 
his usefulness in that particular locality, if nothing worse. 

An Intercepted Telegram, 

" Out of this arrangement grew a curious incident. In the latter part of 
May a young Western newspaper correspondent, stationed in Washington, 
sent in his card, asking to see me or important and confidential business. 
When admitted, he explained that a telegraph operator, whom he had known 
for years in the West, and who had been transferred to the capital, had inter- 
cepted a cipher message from Mor.treal the night before, and believed it was 
from the Spanish headquarters to an agent here. 

" We were particularly interested in the Spanish messages at that time, 
haviiig possession of a cipher that was being used in some of their corres- 
pondence, and the newspaper man, knowing this, had suggested to his friend 
the operator that the suspected communication be submitted to our ofifice. 

" He had tried to translate it, but was unable to succeed, and he wondered 
if we would have better luck. The copy of the mysterious message, which he 
then produced and placed before me on the desk, was addressed to my alias, 
the original, from one of my men, being in a drawer at my side. Under the 
circumstances I felt moderately certain that we could get at its meaning, but 
without explaining to the correspondent, I told him that if we did succeed in 
deciphering it, and the contents were of such a character as to permit of their 
publication, he should have a 'scoop' on it. This satisfied him and he went 
away. 



The spies of spain- 465 

" A little later I called uf) the telegraph company and asked that the 
operator in question should be sent to the office for a moment. In a (ew 
minutes he was ushered in — a young, bright-faced fellow, with plenty of color 
in his cheeks, and an air of suppressed excitement. I only guessed that he 
<clt his discovery had been of value to the Government, and he was to be 
rewarded in some way. In reply to my interview, he detailed how he had 
received the message, and how, when it occurred to him that it might be from 
one Spanish agent to another, he had surreptitiously obtained a copy of it. 
The fact that it bore no local address had made it doubly suspicious, as it 
infJicated that it was to be called for. 

An A"wkward Interview. 

" ' Didn't it occur to you to see if the person to whom it was addressed 
was registered in the office with delivery directions?' 

" ' No, sir.' 

"'Well, if you h;id consulted your company's books you would have 
discovered that I am ' John Ehlen,' and that this is a Government message.' 

" The poor fellow's face was a study when he realized that he had held 
out an official telegram and had turned it over to a newspaper man. lie 
appreciated the gravity of the offence in violating his oath as an operator, and 
felt that his position was as good as gone, under circumstances that would 
make it impossible for him to obtain employment with any company. He 
said nothing, but his eyes filled with tears. 

" ' Have you a family ? ' 

" ' No, sir, but I am supporting my old father and mother.' 

" ' Your motive was the best in the world,' I said, finally, * but your 
methods are open to criticism. Now, nothing shall be said to the company 
about this, but if in the future you catch any mysterious messages, just bring 
them straight to me without intrusting them to any outsider. If your news- 
paper friend had succeeded in translating this message, it might have been 
awkward for all of us.' 

*' This was quite true, for the message in question detailed briefly, but 
completely, the capture of the Carranza letter. He gave me a grateful pres- 
sure of the hand, and the incident was closed. You see, we often run ver}' 
near the danger line. 

"Apropos of ciphers, there were several employed by the Spanish. 

There was a ' figure ' cipher, which we were unable to translate, and there 

WIS another whose mystery we solved. This was rather ingeniou.*;, and as 

simple as it was clever. The day of the month on whii^h the communication 

was written was the key. For instance, if the letter was dated on the 6tii 
3J-D 



466 THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 

the sixth letter of the alphabet, ' f,' was used in place of ' a,' * g,' instead of ' b,' 
and so on. This gave a change for every day in the month. 

"Among the letters seized on the steamer Panama we found several in 
which, after completing what looked like an ordinary, commonplace letter, the 
author had written the secret information between the lines in sympathetic 
ink, which developed only on being subjected to a temperature almost high 
-niough to scorch the paper. There were a number of these from Mexico to 
suspected individuals in New Orleans, relating to the purchase of supplies to 
be shipped to the open ports of Cuba, and up to the time that the blockade 
was extended to include the whole island there was a large and constant 
movement of supplies from this country to Vera Cruz. 

" Some of the most delicate and interesting work of the department was 
that involving the ' testing ' of suspects. Given a clever operative, who could 
speak Spanish like a native, and the right opportunity, it was moderately cer- 
tain that within a comparatively short time the subject of the investigation 
could be induced to declare himself. There were a few cases, however, where 
the conditions were peculiar and the accomplishment of the task decidedly 
difficult. 

" One of these, with a touch of comedy in it, was that of a certain Ger- 
man doctor in an Eastern city, whose social position was of the highest and 
whose reputation was the best. Several letters had been received warning 
us that the doctor was a most dangerous spy. He was not naturalized, and 
before hostilities broke out had been an avowed friend of Spain. It was 
stated that last year he had gone abroad, ostensibly to visit Germany, but that 
as a matter of fact he had gone to Austria, and afterward to Spain, and now 
was certainly acting as an agent for the enemy. 

Investigating the Doctor. 

■ "After sending to several of the writers of the warning letters and estab- 
lishing the fact that they were reputable and responsible persons, arrangements 
were made for a careful watch upon the doctor. His associations were found 
to include no suspicious individuals, his actions were rational, and he seemed 
to be behaving himself like an ordinary mortal. The facts against him were 
/that he was an outspoken advocate of Spain, writing and speaking in her 
behalf, openly denouncing this country for its part in the conflict, and express- 
ing the hope that victory might rest with the Spanish arms. 

" Yet this was in a sense in his favor, for it seemed more than likely a 
secret agent would cloak his operations under a pretended friendship for this 
country. But he was an influential man, with many acquaintances in govern- 
.^ental positions, and if the charges were well founded would be a dangerous 



THE SPIES or SPAIN. 4G7 

enemy, because he was so situated as to casil)- obtain very important informa- 
tion. It was therefore extremely desirable to fix his exact status. The ques- 
tion was whether he was doing more than employing mere moral force in 
behalf of Spain. Any one could obtain his friendly view of the Dons for the 
asking, but if he was engaged on a secret mission it would require exceedingly 
delicate work to ascertain the truth. 

" It chanced that the first week in May I haa made a short trip to the Wc.-t 
and on the * limited ' formed the acquaintance of a foreign gentleman, an Au.-- 
trian, en route to Mexico. He had given me his card, a very formidable bkck 

bordered affair, identifying him as Count L , of Vienna, an officer of the 

Society of Jesus. I had kept the pasteboard, and one day, while the case oi 
the German doctor was under consideration, a glance at it in my desk sug- 
gested a plan which was soon given a trial. 

*' I assigned to the work an operative speaking all the Continei.tal 
languages, thoroughly familiar with Austria, Germany and Spain, and other- 
wise especially well equipped for the task before him. He called upon the 
Doctor, addressed him in German, begged a private interview, and then con- 
fided to him that he was anxious to do something for Spain. He alluded 
touchingly to the natural .sympathy for his beautiful countrywoman, who was 

being so sorely tried. He had met Count L , who was here on a political 

mission, anr' had spoken to him of his desire. 

A Bit of Strategy. 

"The Count had told him of the great friendship of Austria for Spain, 
and had advised him that if he wished to sei\-i her he could not do better than 
call upon the famous Doctor X., who was in a position to instruct him ; be- 
cause, as the Count had intimated to him in the strictest confidence, the Doctor 
was doing a little quiet secret work for Spain. The Count had written the 
doctor's name and address on one of his own cards. Here it was. Now 
would the good Doctor tell him how he could serve poor Spain ? No mission 
would be too dangerous for him to undertake. 

"The Doctor was much agitated (luring his visitor's recital, which was 
carried on in a cautious whisper, and when it was finished was silent for a. 
:ime. Finally he said that though he felt honored at the confidence displayed 
in his discretion, and would be glad to advise his friend, he himself dared do 
no more than write and speak for the down trodden nation. 

"We were satisfied from the result of the test that the Doctor was not a 
spy, and thereafter disregarded the warnings concerning him. A curious 
sequel to the agent's call was that a few days later the Au-trian Minister war. 
obliged to deny a foolish story to the effect that his government was pre- 



468 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



paring to make a friendly demonstration in behalf of Spain. I fancy the 
orjo-in of the rumor might have been traced to my friend the Doctor, who 
over-estimated the Austrian Count's revelation to the nervous man who was 
so anxious to do something for an unhappy people. 

" Strangely enough, the two best spies to whom Lieutenant Carranza 
refers in his more or less famous letter to his uncle were not Spaniards. 
Both were of English birth, and neither even spoke Spanish. Both are dead 
one destroyed himself in prison and the other fell a victim to deadly ty- 
phoid while incarcerated in Fort McPherson. 

" The circumstances leading up to the arrest of these men are interesting 
in that they illustrate two widely different phases of the work of the agents 
of the emergency forces of the Federal secret service. 

Shadowing the Former Minister. 
"One of the first men employed in the special investigation was a young 
New Yorker of fine family and excellent social position. A long residence 
abroad had given him a fluent command of modern languages. He was the 
possessor of much natural shrewdness, and his courage was unquestioned. 
He was sent to Toronto immediately after the departure of Senor Polo y Bar- 
nabe from Washington, with instructions to keep headquarters advised of 
the movements of the former Minister's party, to look carefully after those 
who might connect with them in any way, and to do both without arousing 
suspicion. 

" He was fortunate in securing a room adjoining that occupied by Lieu- 
tenant Carranza, and as there was a connecting door, against which the head 
of his bed was placed, he was beautifully situated for his purpose. Early on 
the morning of Friday, May 6th, an earnest conversation, this time in English, 
was being carried on in the Lieutenant's room. It lasted for an hour or 
more. The Lieutenant's visitor showed an intimate knowledge of the Ame- 
rican navy and referred to his own services on the Brooklyn. 

" Carranza first satisfied himself that the man knew what he was talking 
about, and then arranged for him to go to Washington, where he was to se- 
cure certain information and forward it to Montreal, for which point the 
.former Minister was to leave that afternoon. Instructions were given in the 
use of the code for telegraphing, and there was much further talk in a tone 
too low to be understood; but the stranger was finally heard to say, "Then 
I am to write to this address in Montreal.' 

" Carranza assented, nnd our agent, believing the visit was at an end, 
opened the door and stepped into the hall. He had timed his movements 
well, for Carranza was just bidding his visitor farewell. Together the secret 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 469 

service man and the stranger walked through the hall, the former asking a 
light for his cigarette as they passed down the stairway. At the door ihcy 
separated. The suspect was shadowed to an obscure hotel, where it was 
ascertained that he had registered as ' Alexander Crce ' and that he was to 
leave the city that evening. 

" That afternoon the following telegram in cipher was delivered to me : 
"'Young Southerner, Alexander Crce, of Hillsboro, I think, leaves for 
Washington to-night. My height and build, dark, small mustache, black soft 
lelt hat, black sack coat, black sailor tie, somewhat shabby, evidently served 
on Brooklyn; has intimate knowledge of naval matters. Just had long inter- 
view with naval attache. He is to write to Montreal. 

Every Movement Watched. 

" The next morning arrangements were made to ' cover ' incoming trains 
in Washington, and by the aid of the description our man was picked out of 
the crowd at the Baltimore and Ohio depot with as much ease as if we had 
been furnished his photograph. From the moment of his arrival every move- 
ment was watched. He was evidently familiar with the city, for he asked no 
questions in going about. One of his trips included a call at the Navy 
Department, after which he returned to his boarding house, No. 916 E street 
N. W,, where he remained for an hour or so, going thence to the post office, 
where he mailed a letter. This was promptly secured and taken to head- 
quarters. It bore the address ' Frederick W. Dickson, Esq., 1248 Dorchester 
street, Montreal,' and was as follows : 

" ' Washington, Saturday, May 7, 1898. 

'"A cipher message has been sent off from the Navy Department to San 
Francisco, directing the cruiser Charleston to proceed to Manila with five 
hundred men and machinery for repairs for Dewey. A long cipher has been 
received from Dewey at department at 3.30 p.m. They are translating it now. 
Cannot find it out yet. Have heard important news respecting movements 
of colliers and cruiser Newark at Norfolk Navy Yard, also about the new- 
Holland boat, as to what they intend to do with her, and her destination. I 
shall go to Norfolk soon to find important news. My address will be Norfolk 
House. Norfolk, Va., but shall not go until Tuesday. 

'"Respectfully yours, 

" ' G D., m haste." 

"This fully confirmed the suspicion that he was a hired spy, and war- 
ranted immediate action. As this offence was a military one I laid the fact 
before the Assistant Secretary of War and the Judge Advocate General with 



470 THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 

the result that a military arrest was decided upon. Captain Sage, of the 
Eighth artillery, with a corporal and one man, was ordered to report to nie at 
the Treasury Building, and at eleven o'clock that night we arrested the sus- 
pected man in his room. 

" We rather anticipated a lively time, but much to my surprise he wilted 
completely when I placed him under arrest and he was led away without, 
resistance. 

"A search of the apartment resulted in the seizure of partly finished 
letters to the same address in Montreal, and documents establishing the 
identity of the prisoner as George Downing, naturalized citizen and formerly 
yeoman of the cruiser Brooklyn. In one corner of a bureau drawer, other- 
wise empty, I found a scrap of letter paper, upon one side of which was the 
address in Dorchester street, and on the other these words : — ' Slater's Code. 
To send add lOO ; to receive subtract loo. 

Collecting the Evidence. 

" This was the key to the cipher he was to employ, the system being one 
in which thousands of ordinary words arranged alphabetically have fixed con- 
secutive numbers of five figures each. In preparing a telegram under the 
cipher indicated on the slip, the desired word having been found on the list, 
one hundred would have been added to its corresponding number, and the 
word opposite the higher number thus obtained would have been used in the 
cipher message. In translating the cipher, after ascertaining the number 
associated with the word on the message, the subtraction of a hundred would 
disclose the figures opposite which would be the real word desired. 

" The evidence secured in Downing's room, considered in connection 
with the consultation with Carranza and the letter mailed to Montreal, would 
have been sufficient to insure conviction, and the prisoner evidently appre- 
ciated th-: fact, for two days later he hanged himself in his cell, at the barracks. 

It may be added that the Dorchester street house had been rented fur- 
nished by a Spanish agent the day before Senor Polo left Toronto, but it was 
soon after given up. 

" The operations of the Spanish agents in Canada were materially aided by 
a private detective agency of the Dominion, through which an attempt was 
made to carry out an extensive and rather ingenious scheme for the collection 
of information about our forces. Young men who had had experience in tlic 
Canadian or English military organizations were to proceed to various points 
and there enlist in the American army, San Francisco and Tampa being 
selected as the advantageous points from which to operate. The spies were 
quietly to collect all the facts as to troops, guns and so on, to proceed with the 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 471 

''.rmy of invasion to Manila or Cuba, as the case might be, and upon reaching 
Uie foreign port were to escape at the first opportunity and deliver them- 
selves into the hands of the Spaniards. 

'■ Each was to be provided with a plain ring, of gold or silver, upon the 
rnner circumference of which were engraved tlie words' Confienza Augustina,' 
and this token was to be sent by a messenger to the commanding officer as 
soon as possible after reaching the Spanish lines. The general, or whoever 
received the ring, having been instructed that these would be sent by spies in 
their service, would summon him and hear his report. He would then be 
permitted to make his way back to the Auleric^ln lines to establish such other 
means of communication as might suggest themselves. 

Experience of Two Englishmen. 

" The first of these agents to be secured was a young Englishman in 
Montreal, whose name might have been Atkins. He was down on his luck, 
out of work and desperate. Pie was treated liberally with liquor, and the 
scheme unfolded to him at the office of the detective agency when he was in 
a properly receptive mood, and where he was accompanied by another young 
Englishman, Frederick Elmhurst, who had just served his time in one ol the 
Canadian batteries, and who was also willing to go into the plot. 

" The following day they were taken to the London Plouse, in Montreal 
and there met Lieutenant. Carranza, who, after looking them over, asked if 
they understood what they were to do and were willing to undertake the 
mission. Both agreed to the proposition. They then separated, and Atkins, 
was to go to San Francisco, was given ^loo with which to pay his transpor- 
tation, provide himself with the ring and have something left over for emer- 
gencies. He bought his ticket, but fortunately waited until he was sober 
before packing up. When his brain h id sufficiently cleared to enable him to 
realize what he was doing he decided to wait awhile. 

" In the course of a few days he hunted up his old colonel, made a clean 
breast of the whole matter, and was advised to have nothing to do with it. 
Then he called on a former employer in Montreal and told him of the propo- 
(sition and of his determination to fi;^ht shy of it, adding that he was 'an 

Englishman and he'd be blowed if he'd fight against white men for any 

foreigner.' 

"One of the Spanish-Canadian private detectives, meeting Atkins some 
time later, decoyed him to a cheap hotel, where he beat and threatened to kill 
him, and the victim, fearing further violence, left the country in a cattle 
steamer bound for Liverpool. His Montrea" friend who was an American, 
having redeemed the unused railroad ticket and taken possession of t^e ring. 



472 THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 

reported the matter to the United States consuls, who forwarded the informa- 
tion to Washington. 

"Just before this' information reached us one of our men at Tampa found 
that a man known as Miller had attempted to enlist there, but had been 
refused, as no more men were being taken at that time. Miller was stopping 
at the Almeria Hotel, and it was soon learned that he was in telegraphic 
communication with Montreal. Tuesday, May 24, the following message 
was intercepted by the military censor : 

" ' Cannot telegraph money to-day. Move from where you are and tele- 
graph from some other town. Write fully re stocks at once. Will wire 
money and instructions on receipt. Siddall.' 

" This being considered sufficiently suggestive to warrant his detention, 
he was taken in by our agents. Papers in his possession included a declara- 
tion of intention, from which it appeared that his correct name was Frank 
Arthur Mellor, and that he came from Kingston, Ontario. Other messages 
on his person were not satisfactorily explained, and he could not tell what was 
meant by the order to move to another town and ' write fully re stocks.' 

" Suspicion became a certainty on the Sunday following his arrest, when 
I received the Carranza letter, captured in Montreal, and found the reference 
to the second of the best spies who had been arrested * day before yesterday 
in Tampa,' The Carranza letter was written Thursday, May 26, and the date 
referred to would therefore have been Tuesday, when Mellor was taken into 
custody. However, as it would have been hardly fair to prosecute Mellor on 
the Lieutenant's unsupported statement, copies of telegrams, with other 
information obtained from Tampa, were forwarded, and the agents at Mon- 
treal were set at work confirming the Canadian end of the conspiracy. 

The Death of Mellor. 

" It was soon established that Mellor had been intimately associated with 
the Spanish-Canadian detective agency, and was the man who approached 
Atkins on behalf of the firm to go into the scheme cf enlisting and carrying 
information to the enemy. Siddall, whose name was signed to the message, 
was found to be a barkeeper in a Montreal dive, and, through a woman had 
been induced to loan his name to the detectives. Atkins was brought back 
to this country, and in a sworn statement fully corroborated the mass of evi- 
dence already in our hands. 

" In the meantime Mellor, who had been sent to Fort McPherson, had 
I een visited by a Montreal attorney, who had been seen in close consultatio& 
with the private detectives, and Siddall acknowledged that he had given thit» 
attorney an order on the telegraph company for copies of the original mes- 



THE SriES OF SPAIN. 47? 

sages sent from Canada. In various other ways the connection between the 
Spanish headquarters in Montreal and Mcllor had been estabhshed, and ihc 
evidence was in the possession of the Judge Advocate General, who had the 
charges prepared when the protocol was signed. 

" Had Mellor lived it is quite likely tliat peace would have given him his 
liberty, but typhoid claimed him about ten days after the cessation of hos- 
tilities. Frederick Elmhurst, the Canadian who had succeeded in enlisting 
at Tampa, was arrested and held at P^ort McPherson Until some days later, 
when he was sent North and released. 

" It was generally believed that when Senor Polo's party lingered in 
Canada it was the intention to establish an information bureau, and one of the 
principal tasks of the division was the breaking up of that institution. While 
many facts ascertained by the agents of the American secret service made it 
certain beyond question that a regular system of espionage was being con- 
ducted on neutral territory, there was not enough on which to approach Gre^t 
Britain with a request for the expulsion of the offenders, and we were anxious 
to obtain something conclusive upon which action could be based. The men 
in Montreal were particularly alert for the right sort of evidence, and never 
left the Spanish combination alone for a moment. 

Detective's Trick. 

"When the former Minister returned to Spain, Lieutenant Carranza and 
Senor du Bosc rented a furnished house at No. 42 Tupper street. They took 
it for two months only, and having ascertained this fact, one of our ukd 
secured a card from the real estate agent, requesting that the tenant kindl>" 
permit the bearer to see the house. A party of three was then made up, 
including a lady, and about eleven o'clock in the forenoon of Saturda)', May 
28, they called, were admitted by the maid and shown slowly through the 
various apartments. 

" Carranza and Du Bosc were at breakfast in the lower part of the house, 
and as the visitors passed through the sleeping room of the former one of the 
men saw an official looking letter, stamped and ready for the mail, lying upon 
a dresser. The lady and one of her companions moved out toward the hali 
with the servant, while the third member of the party slipped the letter into- 
his pocket. In the lower hall, just before they left, the postman passed in 
three large letters, and these would have also been in our possession in 
a moment but for the sudden appearance cf the maid, who took charge of 
them. 

" As quickly as possible after leaving the house the letter was enclosed 
m another envelope, bearing both American and Canadian stamps, and was 



474 THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 

intrusted to an American locomotive engineer about to start upon his run, 
and who was instructed to take it as far as Burlington, Vt., and then mail it. 
He carried out his share of the work perfectly, the letter coming through all 
right and being delivered to me late Sunday night. 

" Immediately after leaving the Tupper street place one man and the 
woman left for Toronto and the other operative went out into the suburbs to 
look after another suspect. The excitement in the vicinity of the Spanish 
headquarters when the loss was discovered may well be imagined. Carranza 
knew what damaging admissions he had made, and if, as he feared, the Ameri- 
can Government had his letter, his usefulness to his own was practically 
ended. He- iirst denied that the letter was of any special value, and when a 
translation was printed claimed that certain rJthe published statements were 
not in his letter, asserting that interpolations had been made and whole sen- 
tences wrongly translated, 

*' He secured :he arrest of a Montreal private detective, whom he 
charged with the abstraction of the letter, but as the prisoner looked about 
as much like the man who really got it as young Sothern does like Buffalo 
Bill, the case fell through. The public is familiar with the legal proceedings 
that followed when the detective tried to recover damages for false arrest, and 
the subsequent action of the British and Dominion Governments in dismissing 
the Spanish agents is well known. It is only necessary to say that the letter 
gave the finishing stroke to the Spanish spy service in America." 

Rowan's Brilliant Scouting. 

Lieutenant Alexander S. Rowan was sent by the United States Secret 
Service Bureau early in April to carry plans of the United States military 
operations in Cuba to General Calixto Garcia, of the insurgent army. He also 
carried instructions for the junction of the forces of Gomez and Garcia with 
the United States army of invasion. 

Lieutenant Rowan was graduated from West Point in 1877, and after sev- 
eral years of service in the West was assigned to the Secret Service Bureau. 
He left Jamaica on April 9th, arrived in Kingston on April 15th and departed 
from Stann's Bay on April 24th, in a sailing vessel, bound for Cuba. It is 
reported that he landed and succeeded in reaching the insurgent camp. 

He reached Tampa on the steamer Mascotte in the middle of May and 
breathed a sigh of relief and satisfaction at being safely back from the perils 
of his visit to the insurgent camp of General Calixto Garcia, in the Province* 
of Santiago, 

" I can assure you I am glad to be back in civilization and on American 
territory," he said. " I left Washington about a month ago on a mission of 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 475 

secrecy to the camp of General Garcia. I went to Bermuda, and from there 
to Cuba, where I made my way to General Garcia's headquarters under tlie 
guidance of several Cubans. You will, of course, understand that I am not 
permitted to reveal the object or results of my visit to the camp of the Cuban 
leader further fhan to say that it related to the contemplated junction of his 
forces with those of the United States when the invasion of Cuba is made ' 

In an Open Boat. 

Additional details of Lieutenant Rowan's visit to General Garcia v;cre 
given by Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Hernandez, aide to General Enrique 
CoUazo, both of whom accompanied the intrepid American officer from the 
interior of Cuba to the sea coast, and who shared with him the dangers of the 
four days' journey in an open boat from the coast to Nassau, Jamaica. 

" Lieutenant Rowan has seen more of the island of Cuba in a shorter 
time, and endured more hardships, than any other American," said Colonel 
Hernandez. *' From where Lieutenant Rowan landed, on April 29th last, 
near Port Portillo, on the south coast of Santiago de Cuba, to wheie he left 
on the north coast, is across the widest part of the island With a guard of 
only four men he pushed through, part of the way on foot, and through one 
of tiie wildest parts of the island. 

" With hardly a stop for rest, he reached Bayamo on May ist, where he 
met General Garcia. Five hours afterward we started for the north coast. 
Lieutenant Rowan did not stop for an instant until his mission was accom- 
plished, exhausted though he was. For four days and nights we hardly left 
our saddles. It is a ride I do not think Lieutenant Rowan will ever forget. 
But, like the soldier that he is, he never complained. When we finally reached 
the coast near Port Maniti, on ]\Iay 5th, the only boat procurable was a little 
dory, hardly more than sixteen feet long, yet our orders permitted no delay, 
and six of us embarked on this little cockle shell. We were picked up by a 
sponger, and reached Nassau early on May 8th." 




CHAPTER XXX. 
Agitation for Peace Ends in Renewal of Hostilities. 

ENERAL OTIS telegraphed the War Department at Washington 
under date of April 28th, that the commanding general of the in- 
surgents had received from the insurgent government directions to 
suspend hostilities pending negotiations for the termination of the 
war and that insurgent staff officers were on the way to Manila for that purpose. 

The text of General Otis's dispatch was as follows : 

" After taking Calumpit, MacArthur's division crossed the Rio Grande 
River in the face of great obstacles, driving the concentrated forces of the 
enemy back on the railroad two miles. MacArthur reports that passage of 
the river was a remarkable military achievement, the success of which is due 
to the daring skill and determination of Colonel Funston, under discriminative 
control of General Wheaton. Casualties slight, number not yet ascertained. 

"This morning chief of staff from the commanding general of insurgent 
forces entered our lines to express admiration of the wonderful feat of the 
American army in forcing passage of the river, which was thought impossible. 
Staff officer reports that insurgent commanding general has received from in- 
surgent government directions to suspend hostilities pending negotiations for 
the termination of the war. 

" Lawton's forces well in hand in vicinity of Agnat, east of Calumpit^ 
where he is waiting supplies to be sent to-morrow. Yesterday morning a force 
of fifteen hundred insurgents attacked troops at Taguig ; driven back by 
Washington regiment. Our loss two killed, twelve wounded." 

The dispatch from General Otis was immediately telegraphed to President 
McKinley at Philadelphia, who sent the following reply : 

''Otis, Manila: Your message announcing the advance of MacArthur's 
division and the proposal of the insurgents for the suspension of hostilities 
most gratifying. Convey to officers and men heartfelt congratulations and 
gratitude for their signal gallantry and triumphs. 

•' William McKinley." 

While the insurgents were undoubtedly tired of the war, the leaders were 
torn with dissensions. There was a suspicion that: it was hoped by means of 
a conference to ascertain what terms they couid fxpect. If they saw that any^ 
thing was to be gained by continuing the war, an armistice would afford them 
an opportunity for recuperating their demoralized forces. It is an interesting 
476 



AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 477 

^mmentary on Aguinaldo's scheme that only sixty of the three hundred 
ioen^bers of the Filipino Congress took the oath of allegiance which their 
^institution required. 

A Filipino proclamation, replying to the proclamation of the American 
Commissioners, appeared. It was signed by Madini for the President, and 
was dated at San Isidro April 15. Written in the usual grandiose style, it 
declared that President McKinley issued the proclamation in order to force 
the American Congress to ratify the cession of the islands under the treaty of 
Paris. "This contract of cession was made with the Spaniards after Spanish 
domination had been ended by the valor of our troops," the proclamation 
asserted. 

Aguinaldo's Troops Exhausted. 

The proclamation complained that the Filipinos were not represented at 
Paris during the negotiations of the treaty, and that they were without assur- 
ances of the fulfillment of American promises. It dilated upon the alleged 
Anglo-Saxon hatred of blacks, and asserted a desire to enslave them. After 
deploring a lack of foreign aid in prosecuting the war, the proclamation con- 
cluded : " We stand alone, but we will fight to the death. Coming gener- 
ations will pray over our graves, shedding tears of gratitude for their free- 
dom." 

Speaking of the conference with the Filipino leaders. President Schur- 
man, of the Philippine Commission, said that the Filipino emissar}^ began the 
conversation with a strong plea for the independence of the natives of Luzon. 
President Schurman replied to Arguelles that he was unable to discuss the 
independence of the Filipinos. 

" I told Arguelles," said President Schurman," that American sovereignty 
over the Philippines was an established fact, and for this reason I declined 
to discuss any kind of a treaty. I also pointed out to Colonel Arguelles that 
the suspension of ho.stilities was a military matter which should be settled by 
the military officers, so I would have to decline to talk on that point. Ar- 
guelles seemed very much depressed at not being able to secure the independ- 
ence of the insurgents. He practically admitted that the resources of the men 
following Aguinaldo were exhausted. He told me that the insurgents desired 
peace. He admitted that it should come on terms thoroughly honorable to 
America, but at the same time said the terms should not be made such as 
would be humiliating to the Filipinos. Colonel Arguelles claimed he con- 
sidered the unconditional surrender demanded by General Otis as most hu- 
miliating to his countrymen." 

President Schurman evidently did not tliink the terms demanded by Gen- 
eral Otis unjust 



478 AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 

The following is a detailed account of the proposals sent by the insurgent 
Authorities. Colonel Arguelles and Lieutenant Bernal, the members of insur 
gent General Luna's staff, wlio came through the American lines near Caiumv 
pit, arrived in Manila in the afternoon of the 28th to consult with General 
Otis regarding peace negotiations. They reported that Aguinaido was at 
San Isidro. 

General Otis said : " The insurgents thought that their position on the 
river bank at Calumpit was impregnable. There they made a successful stand 
against the Spaniards in 1896. Our success in storming their strong intrench- 
ments has demoralized them and the people are ready to give up tlie fight. 
As to the emissaries v/ho have been sent by General Luna, my opinion is 
that they desire to gain time. They say that they wish to submit tlu ques- 
tion of continuing the war or not to their Congress, meeting in May. These 
leaders think that they represent the Filipino people. I answered that I would 
be glad to receive emissaries from the insurgent chiefs, provided they came 
with a proposition for absolute surrender. These were the only terms that I 
could consider," 

Negotiations were Fruitless. 

The Filipino officers attracted much attention. They were dressed in 
uniforms of checked blue and white cloth, and wore straw hats. They carried 
no sidearms. They were escorted directly to the office of General Otis, where 
Jacob G. Schurman, president of the Philippine Commission, and Charles 
Denby, a member of the commission, joined the party. The news of the 
arrival of Filipino officers under a flag of truce spread through the city rap- 
idly, and many officers went to the palace, while a crowd of natives gathered 
in the square opposite the palace. 

After a two hours' conference the Filipino officers, escorted by American 
officers, left the palace. They did not look at all pleased as a result of their 
talk with General Otis and the members of the Philippine Commission, and it 
was learned that the negotiations for peace had thus far been without effect. 

Arguelles and Bernal told General Otis that they represented General 
Luna, who had been requested by Aguinaido to ask General Otis for a cessa- 
tion of hostilities in order to allow time for the summoning of the Filipino 
Congress, which would decide whether the people wanted peace. General 
Otis replied in effect that he did not recognize the existence of a Filipino gov- 
ernment. Aguinaido evidently selected the army as a cloak for his Congress, 
hoping by subterfuge to overcome General Otis' consistent policy of ignoring 
the Filipino government. 

The Filioinos argued that it was impossible to arrange an armistice with- 



AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 470 

out the sanction of the Congress. General Otis punctured this assumption 
by remarking that if Aguinaldo could make war without the Congress he 
could stop it without reference to that body. One of the conferees remarked 
after the meeting that the Filipinos were shrewder than white men in diplo- 
macy, as the Malays are credited with being. " General Otis," said President 
Schurman, in discussing this feature of the case, " is doing with brother Fili- 
pinos just what General Grant did to brother Americans at Appomattox." 

During the conversation Colonel Arguelles reiterated a dozen times the 
necessity of enabling the Filipinos to surrender without the loss of honor. 
'' Pag Con Dig7ndad'' \\3i5ih.Q expression he so frequently used. President 
Schurman suggested what seemed to him a better emollient to the insurgents. 
He said that if they surrendered immediately the commission would invite 
them to co-operate with it in proposing a form of government, which would 
be submitted to President McKinley. He promised that if his suggestions 
were followed out the views and representations of the Filipino leaders would 
be considered earnestly by the Commission. 

Professor Schurman assured Colonel Arguelles that the Commission 
desired to draft a scheme of government which would satisfy all legitimate 
aspirations of the Filipinos. To accept these proposals, he assured the 
insurgent officer, would bring peace with dignity, and also with influence, to 
the insurgents. The members of the Commission said that the remarks of 
Colonel Arguelles which followed this proposition were the first obvious 
manifestations of weakness. While he demurred at the idea of an uncondi. 
tional surrender, he evidently was taken greatly with what President Schur- 
man said in regard to the part the Filipinos would be permitted to take in the 
drafting of the new form of government. 

General Lawton Pushing Forward. 

While it was the general expectation among the Americans that the 
Filipino emissaries would return with revised proposals from General Antonio 
Luna, Major General Otis did not let this prospect interfere with his prcpara. 
tions for pushing the war. He ordered Major General Lawton to return to 
Angat, a few miles northwest of Norzagaray, and not to advance aggressively 
.'lile the negotiations were pending. General MacArthur was apparently 
acting on the same policy, but he was repairing bridges and strengthening the 
lines of his force, which stretched out with a four-mile front and within a 
quarter of a mile of the enemy. 

The possibilities of peace were gratifying to a great majority of the army, 
who regarded the war as an unpleasant duty that must be performed accord- 
ing to American traditions. Manila was cheerful over the prospect of a 



480 AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 

return to normal life, though there were skeptics who remarked that a truce 
would enable the insurgents to rest until the rainy season, upon which they 
were depending as an important aid. The prisoners report that there were 
75,000 refugees north of San Fernando. This is not impossible, considering 
the thickly populated region which the Americans cleared. It was reported 
also that small-pox was spreading among them. 

When Dean C. Worcester, of the United States Philippine Commission, 
who accompanied the Filipmo emissaries from Calumpit, said to Colonel 
Manuel Arguelles that the Americans were under no obligations to refrain 
from fighting, the Filipino officer replied : " Would you fight while we are 
discussing terms of peace ? " 

Mr. Worcester responded with the suggestion that an armistice would 
give the Filipino leaders time to escape. 

Plan of Government Proposed. 

*' My God ! where would we escape to ? " the Filipino exclaimed, refer- 
ring in this to the menacing hostile tribes behind the Filipino lines. Colonel 
Arguelles said that he was much disappointed in the results of his mission. 
He said also that Aguinaldo expected Calumpit to be the cemetery of the 
American army. 

Lieutenant Colonel Wallace, of the First Montana Regiment ; Major 
Adams and Major Shields, who slept on the night of the 28th in General 
Luna's camp, where they went to inform the Filipinos that their envoys would 
return in safety, found the Filipino commander cordial, the Filipino troops 
removing their hats as the Americans passed. The Filipinos complained to 
them that the Americans used explosive bullets, which is not the fact. The 
American officers retorted that the copper shells used by the Filipinos are 
worse than explosive bullets. General Luna said he regretted being obliged 
to kill Americans, but that was his business. 

General Wheaton entertained Colonel Arguelles and Lieutenant Jose 
Bernal and provided them with horses to return to their camp. In the course 
of the conference Jacob C. Schurman, chairman of the United States Philip- 
pines Commission, told Colonel Arguelles that if the insurgents would now 
lay down their arms, he and his colleagues of the Commission would consult 
them regarding the plan of government to be submitted to President McKin- 
ley. He said he could not promise that all of their suggestions would be 
adopted, but he could assure them that there would be a presumption in favor 
of their suggestions, adding that the commissioners would be especially desir- 
ous of satisfying the legitimate aspirations of the Filipinos by granting any 
reasonable requests. 



I 



AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 481 

Mr. Schurman said : " I believe Colonel Argucllcs is personally sincere 
and honest, though I have no means of ascertiiining the scntiinenis and aims 
of the authorities behind him. The Filipinos people, like other Asiatic peo- 
ples, have no trust in mere words, without force behind tliem, but, with force, 
I consider a conciliatory spirit of the utmost importance. 

" I believe that, when peace has been established, governing the Filipinos 
will not be a difficult matter, provided we show them firmness, justice and 
kindliness. At the present time they distrust and dislike us, but these senti- 
ments, which are, perhaps, not unnatural, will soon be dispelled by the effects 
of the good government we have promised to establish there. It will be the 
foremost duty of American officials to understand and sympathize with the 
Filipinos themselves." 

Celebration of Dewey Day. 

May 1st, the anniversary of Admiral Dewey's great naval victory in the 
harbor of Manila, was observed throughout the United States by a profuse 
display of flags, by public meetings in some places and by a brilliant naval 
parade in the waters of the Delaware at Philadelphia. The arrival of the 
Raleigh, one of Admiral Dewey's ships, at Philadelphia created much 
enthusiasm. 

The day was generally observed, and as an expression of the good will 
of the United States, President McKinlcy forwarded to Admiral Dewey the 
following cablegram : " On this anniversary of your great victory the people 
of the United States unite in an expression of affection and gratitude to your- 
self and the brave officers and men of your fl.et, whose brilliant achievements 
marked an epoch in history which will live in Vac annals of the world's heroic 
deeds. (Signed) " Will:.\m McKinley." 

General Lawton's force was engaged in hard fighting early in the morn- 
ing of May 2d. He marched in a westerly direction on Balinag, where a 
large body of rebels was concentrated. General Hale started from Calumpit 
at daybreak with the Iowa and South Dakota regiments, and a squad ot 
cavalry and two guns of the Utah battery in a northeasterly direction, to 
co-operate with the !Mncabebees, who asked the Americans to arm them in 
order that they might fight the Tagals. The Macabebees had already organ- 
ized a company of Bolomen to guard the town. They brought Tagal prisoners 
to General MacAithur. 

Refugees reported that the Filipino army was deserting San Fernando 
and massing at Santo Tomas, where General Luna's headquarters were located, 
and that strong entrenchments were being constructed at the sides of the rail- 
way and on the swamp front, in the best positions possible. 
31-D 



482 AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 

Major Manuel Arguelles and Lieutenant Jose Bernal, of the staff of 
General Luna, returned to Manila to renew and urge the request of General 
Luna for a cessation of hostilities. They found their task a most uncongenial 
one. The two officers were received in conference by General Otis. The 
proposals which they had to submit differed but slightly from those which 
they brought from the Filipino comm.ander in the first place. They desired 
a little time in which to summon Congress, and expressed themselves as con- 
fident that the Congress would decree peace, because the people desired it. 

They represented that Aguinaldo" was without power to surrender the 
army, and that the Congress must decide that question. Incidentally the 
Filipino envoys asserted that Aguinaldo had not yet made a fair test of his 
strength against the American forces, because only one-third of his army- 
had been assembled together. 

The Disguise Thrown Off. 

On May 4th there was a conference lasting two hours between Major 
General E. S. Otis and the envoys who came from General Antonio Luna 
bearing a proposal for a cessation of hostilities. General Otis adhered to his 
refusal to recognize the so-called government of the insurgents. The Fili- 
pinos then asked for a truce of three months to enable Aguinaldo to summon 
the Congress and consult with the insurgent leaders or others of the islands. 
The envoys admitted the contention of General Otis that Aguinaldo had little 
control over affairs outside of the island of Luzon. 

The Filipino envoys then abandoned the pretense under which they 
came to General Otis that they represented General Antonio Luna, and 
announced that they came as representatives of Aguinaldo himself The two 
emissaries used all their wiles to secure a reply from General Otis to the 
letter from Senor Mabini, Aguinaldo's Prime Minister and Minister of For- 
eign Affairs in the dictator's Cabinet, which they presented to General Otis 
on May 3d ; but General Otis refused to make any reply on the ground that 
to do so would be equivalent to a recognition of the so-called government of 
the Filipinos. 

Major Arguelles said that Aguinaldo knew he would be overpowered in 
time, but that he would be able to continue the fight for months, and that he 
would do so unless he were given peace with dignity. 

By filling in the roads where it was required, putting canoes on the rivers 
and plowing fields south of Malolos, the American army was put in a fine 
position for a decisive blow. General MacArthur moved his headquarters to 
San Vicente across the Rio Grande. General Wheaton's brigade advanced 
beyond Apalit. General Hale returned to co-operate with General Lawton, 



AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 48;) 

On May 5th, Major General MacArthur carried San Tonias, after en- 
countering a strong resistance. In spite of the peaceful overtures of their 
commissioners, the FiHpinos vigorously resisted the advance of General 
MacArthur's division from Apalit towards San Fernando, fi;^'hting desper- 
ately at long range after running from trench to trench when driven out by 
the American artillery. 

The movement commenced at half-past five in the morning. General 
Male's brigade advanced along the road a few miles west of the railway line. 
General Wheaton, with Hotchkiss and Gatling guns, under the command of 
Lieutenant Naylor, of the Utah Light Artillery, mounted on hand cars, 
pushed ahead. 

Strong Resistance from the Insurgents. . 

Both brigades met with resistance simultaneously on approaching the 
river near San Tomas, which is about eight kilometers from Apalit. The 
centre span of the railroad bridge had dropped into the river, and the rebels 
had only left a small force to check General Wheaton, their main body lining 
the strong trenches in front of General Hale. 

Although the attacking force poured a very heavy artillery and musketry 
fire across the river, the enemy stubbornly resisted for over an hour, ultimately 
breaking when Major Young shelled their left flank, and then retreating 
along the river bank under cover. 

So soon as they discovered that the nature of the country would permit 
only a few skirmishers on each side of the embankment, the rebels regained 
their courage and fought desperately for ch-'-e-quarters of an hour, in the 
face of the American volleys and a rapid-fire fusillade, until flanked by the 
Montana Regiment. Then a general scramble ensued, most of the enemy 
boarding trains that were in readiness and the others taking the road to San 
Fernando, after burning the villages of San Tomas and Minalin. 

About noon General Wheaton crossed the broken bridge, cleared the 
stragglers out of the villages and advanced towards San Fernando. General 
Hale effected a crossing simultaneously, after a slight delay necessarj' to 
repair a stone bridge. 

, After a short rest the advance was continued, General Wheaton en- 
'counterins" the first series of entrenchments near San Fernando. The rebels 
iHOW opened a hot fire. 1 

Colonel Funston, of the Twentieth Kansas, was wounded, one lieutenant 
was killed and four were wounded while leading four companies of the Kansas 
Regiment to outflank the enemy. General Hale pushed along the road, 
flanking the trenches. 



454 AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 

On May 17th General Lawton's advance guard, under Colonel Summers, 
of the Oregon troops, took San Isidro, the insurgent capital, at 8. 30 o'clock 
^M. Colonel Summers's comm.and, consisting of the Twenty-second In- 
fantry on the left, the Minnesota Regiment in the centre and the Oregon and 
North Dakota Regiments on the right, preceded by scouts and accompanied 
by Scott's Battery of Artillery, advanced from Baluarte at daylight. 

The troops first encountered the enemy two miles from San Isidro. The 
rebels retired when our artillery opened fire. Just outside the town a rebel 
force estimated to number 2,000 men was entrenched. It made a slight 
resistance, but evacuated its position when our troops turned its right flank. 
The enemy's loss was fifteen men killed and twenty wounded. Our troopf 
also captured three prisoners and many rifles. On the American side one 
soldier of the Oregon Regiment and one of the Minnesota Regiment 
were slightly wounded. After capturing the town, Colonel Summers' 
troops continued the advance, pursuing the retreating rebels for several 
miles. 

The expedition under Major Kobbe, of the Third Artillery, consisting or 
the Seventeenth Infantry, a battalion of the Ninth and one battery of the 
First Artillery, left Calumpit at daybreak on the 17th, marching from Rio 
Grande to join General Lawton's division at Arayat. A flotilla of cascoes 
loaded with supplies also proceeded up the river. The forces were conveyed 
by the gunboats under Captain Grant. 

Natives Return to their Homes. 

Although the rebels still threatened San Fernando in considerable force, 
large numbers of natives, a majority of them being families with their house- 
hold goods, returned to the town inside the American lines, at Apalit espec- 
ially. Many of the richer Filipinos came to Manila and laborers resumed 
work in the rice fields. The latter showed their respect for American sover- 
eignty by removing their hats to the passing trains. Owing to the bad con- 
dition of the wagon roads the work of repairing the railroad was actively 
pushed. All the broken bridges were trestled. 

At dayliglit on the 17th Lieutenant Hill, who, with twenty-five men 01 
the Fourth Infantry, was concealed in the trenches near Pasig, was attacked 
by a force of rebels, who evidently imagined they could capture one of our 
outposts, because only a few shots had been fired by the American force. 
A few volleys put the enemy to flight, the rebels losing five men killed and 
a number of wounded. The army gunboat Napingdan returned to Manila 
from the lake, having been disabled by a cannon shot from a rebel position 
near Santa Cruz, which broke her rudder-post. 



AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 485 

The following dispatch had been received at the War Department at 
Washington on the 17th: 

"Situation as follows: Lawton,with tact and ability, has covered Bulacan 
Province witii his column, and driven insurgent troops northward into San 
Isidro, second insurgent capital, which he captured this morning; is now 
driving enemy northward into mountains. 

" He has constant fighting, inflicting heavy loss and suffering ; few 
casualties ; appearance of his troops on flanks of enemy behind entrench- 
ments thrown up at every strategic point and town very demoralizing to the 
insurgents, and has given them no opportunity to reconcentrate scattered 
troops. Kobbc's column, with gunboats, proceeding up Rio Grande. 

" Otis." 

The dispatch of General Otis regarding the capture of San Isidro by 
General Lawton, and his forcing of the scattered insurgent ranks into the 
mountains, was so pleasing to Mr. McKinley that he immediately sent his 
congratulations to General Lawton in the following telegram : 

" To Otis, Manila : Convey to General Lawton and the gallant men of 
his command my congratulations upon the successful operations during the 
past month resulting in the capture this morning of San Isidro, 

" William McKinley." 

Resignation of Aguinaldo's Cabinet. 

The members of Aguinaldo's Cabinet tendered their resignations on 
May 3d. Coupled with the various resignations was the unanimous recom- 
mendation that Mabino be retained as Secretary of State. The Filipinos 
claimed that the motive of this wholesale resignation was to lea\c Aguinaldo 
at liberty to appoint a new Cabinet if desired. Aguinaldo. in answer to the 
resignations, sent a message to the House of Representatives of the so-called 
Filipino Government and said that he was satisfied with the personnel of the 
present Cabinet. Then he followed with a long resume of the situation. 

The following are extracts of the statement which Aguinaldo sent to the 
Filipino Legislature : 

" You are obliged to inaugurate your difficult task at the moment of 
greatest anguish to the country ; when the guns of the enemy do not respect 
either life, honor or public interest. The representative of the American 
Government brought us from Hong Kong with promi.ses that he would aid 
in the reconquest of this countr>''s lost liberty. Fortunately the people, 
anticipating my desires, had thrown off the yoke of Spanish dominion with- 
out foreign aid. 



486 AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 

" Trusting in the honesty of the Americans, and recognizing that our 
easy triumph was partly due to their destruction of the Spanish fleet, I have 
obtained the friendship of those representatives by assuring them that the 
Filipinos preferred an alHance with America to any other nation. Unfor- 
tunately my efforts encountered their pretension, which was as inconceivable 
as it was firm, that I should be subservient to their orders. My negative 
answer induced them to decline to recognize our government." 

Aguinaldo, in continuing his address to the Legislature, accused the au- 
thorities at Washington with precipitating the present hostilities without 
warning and without declaring war because President McKinley believed the 
sentiment of the people of America was going rapidly against the acquire- 
ment of the Philippines. He acknowledged the superiority of arms, of dis- 
cipline and of the numbers of the American forces. 

The Filipino Oommander Praises his Troops. 

The Filipino soldiers received warm praise in the address for their bra- 
very in maintaining the unequal struggle, as follows : 

" I am deeply moved by such an exhibition of virtue and patriotism. I 
am convinced that I should not be permitted to abuse the generous sentiment 
of these unfortunate people any longer, or continue to extend the strife and 
their sacrifices, unless it is absolutely necessary, I have solicited the mem- 
bers of the American Philippine Commission for a temporary but not general 
suspension of hostilities. I did this in order to secure time in which to allow 
the Filipinos to consider the sad situation and debate upon the guarantee of 
liberty which might be offered by our enemies, but the Americans refused 
to consider without previous unconditional submission to their orders. Our 
efforts were all against any such plan, which would oblige us to recognize 
their sovereignty with no guarantee except their promise of liberty. 

" I am now fully convinced that our arms constitute the sole means of 
gaining our aspirations. I believe this because for the fulfillment of the pro- 
mises made by the American Government, it is necessary that a formal agree- 
ment be drawn up between the Filipinos and the Americans. This agree- 
ment must be approved by the American Congress. No such document ex- 
ists, nor will the Americans give the Filipinos time to draft one conformable 
with our desires and customs. Therefore it is evident they desire to fulfill 
the promises they have made only when it is convenient for them. 

" It would be cruelty for us to submit with such indiscretion ana 
abandon our defenseless people to the merciless foreign guns and cannon 
which would vomit their greatest abuses upon us after we had relinquished 
our arms. You will understand there is no other recourse for me than to 



AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 487 

maintain this struggle till death. I rest with the assurance that we will 
achieve a final triumph, which will be the more brilliant on account of the 
terrible obstacles we will have to overcome. Providential events unforeseen 
may change the outcome of this struggle in a single instance." 

That the insurgents were disintegrated and demoralized was perfectly 
manifest. General Lawton, who was pushing the line of the rebel retreat 
along the Rio Grande, flung his advance, which at last advices was resting 
at San Miguel, northward about twelve miles, took San Isidro, the second in- 
surgent capital, and when Otis' dispatch was sent was still pressing the 
enemy northward. The fact that he was sustaining few losses in his forward 
movement, although in almost continual contact with the enemy, was another 
proof of their utter demoralization. 

More Rumors of Peace. 

It was predicted that it would soon be the mountains or the sea for the 
insurgents. As our troops could be transported by sea to the mouth of the 
Agno and a new base of operations established there, it would be folly for 
them to take that course. Scattered, demoralized and disheartened, it was 
almost certain that the rebels in desperation would retreat into the fastnesses 
of the mountains, where they would keep up a guerilla warfare indefinitely or 
until their leaders came to their senses. 

General Otis cabled the War Department on May i8th that representa- 
tives of Aguinaldo were seeking terms of peace. He said the forces of the 
insurgents were scattering in tlie mountains. Following is General Otis's 
cable : 

" Representatives of insurgents' cabinet and Aguinaldo in mountains 
twelve miles north San Isidro, which abandoned 15th inst. ; will send in com- 
mission to-morrow to seek terms of peace. 

" Majority of force confronting MacArthur at San Fernando has retired 
to Tarlac, tearing up two miles of railway ; this force has decreased to about 
twenty-five hundred. 

" Scouting parties and detachments moving to-day in various directions, 
Kobbc, with column, at Candava, on Rio Grande. Great majority of inhabi- 
tants of provinces over which troops have moved anxious for peace, sup- 
ported by members insurgent cabinet. Aspect of affairs at present favorable. 

" Otis." 

Two Spanish prisoners, who arrived here from Nueva Ecika, said Aguin- 
aldo had lost prestige with the rebel army, which was described as beint; 
completely demoralized, short of food, suffering from diseases, afraid of the 
Americans, and rapidly dissolving into armed bands of pillagers. 



488 AGUINALDO SUING FOR PEACE. 

On May 24th thirty Filipinos were killed and over sixty wounded in the 
battle between the American forces and the insurgents, one mile north of San 
Fernando. The Americans lost one man. Twelve of our troops were 
wounded. The insurgents made the attack. About 9 o'clock the Filipinos 
opened fire upon the outposts of General MacArthur's command. The 
American scouts fought bravely, and held the natives back until they were 
reinforced by troops from San Fernando. General MacArthur, at the head 
of two battalions of the Montana Regiment, and General Funston, leading 
two battalions of the Kansas Regiment ; two guns from the Utah Battery, 
one Hotchkiss and one Gatling gun hurried to the assistance of outposts. 

Insurgents Caught in a Trap. 

The insurgents were occupying the trenches which they had previously 
vacated at the fall of San Fernando. The Kansas troops deployed to the 
right, while the Montana soldiers went to the extreme left. The artillery was 
left in the centre of the line. The Filipinos made an obstinate resistance. 
Finally they attempted to retreat, but found themselves flanked by the Kansas 
troops. General Funston charged his men and drove the insurgents right 
over into the fire of the Montana volunteers. Finally they escaped from this 
fearful fire, but they left their dead and wounded where they had dropped on 
the battlefield. Beside the killed and wounded ninety were made prisoners, 
while over 100 stands of arms were captured, having been dropped by the 
natives in their wild flight from the Americans' fire. 

An engagement the preceding evening, in which an escort, composed of 
parts of the Third and Twenty-second Infantry, covered the operation of 
signal corps men between San Miguel and Balinag, indicated that the in- 
surgents were returning in the wake of General Lawton's command to their 
former positions. In this running fight one American was killed and one 
officer and fourteen privates were wounded. Twenty insurgents were captured 
and many were killed. 

The Filipino Peace Commissioners left Manila the next day and returned 
to the rebel lines to make their report to Aguinaldo. President Schurman 
said that the visiting commissioners expressed themselves as pleased with 
their reception and with the friendly attitude of the American authorities^ 
At a seven-hour session the American peace proposition was discussed by 
the insurgent representatives and the American Commissioners. 
) The Filipinos were non-committal as to their opinion of the terms offered 

them. An old resident of Manila, who was familiar with the conditions 
which existed among the natives of the island declared that, in his opinion, 
nothing definite would result 









'^<j. 



B 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

Vigorous Campaign Against the Insurgents. 

HE opening of a new and vigorous campaign against the insurgents 
was inaugurated on June ist. The capture of Cainta on the 3rd 
was followed on the 4th by the occupation of Antipolo after a run- 
ning fight between the forces of General Hall and the insurgents 
lasting nearly twenty-four hours, the rebels being forced to retreat by the gal- 
lant charges and well-directed fire of the American troops. The artiller>' 
played an important part in the battle, our guns shelling the jungle which 
concealed the rebels and inflicting heavy loss. 

The original plan was to surround the forces of General Pio del Pilar, so 
that he must retreat to the Morong peninsula, where capture would have been 
inevitable. This was not a complete success, because General Hall's column 
found the country full of handicaps to marching. There were several streams 
to be bridged or forded, and the troops frequently floundered through morasses, 
waist deep in mud, an experience which, under the terrific sun, exhausted the 
Americans quite beyond endurance. Most of General Pio del Pinar's follow- 
ers are supposed to have escaped northward, probably reaching Bosoboso, a 
stronghold in the mountains. 

Ran Aground in the Shallows. 

Colonel WhoUey, having successfully completed his share of the move- 
ment, brought the Washington regiment to the river Pasig, where about mid- 
night the men embarked upon cascoes and started for their destination, under 
the convoy of the gunboats. 

They encountered a repetition of the experience undergone by almost 
every expedition on attempting to enter Laguna de Bay, as the boats went 
aground in the shallows at the mouth of the river and were detained there 
several hours. Major General Lawton, in the meantime, was indefatigable, 
riding from one force to another and supervising the loading of the cascoes, 
without sleep for two nights. 

General Hall's column, which assembled at the water works or pumpingr 

station late on the 2nd, undercover of a moonless sky, consisted of the Second 

Oregon Volunteers, who marched to the point of rendezvous from the city 

barracks; a battalion of the Second Wyoming Regiment, four troops of the 

Fourth Cavalry — one mounted on the big American horses which so impressed 

the natives, the others unmounted — two battalions of the Fourth Infantry, 

one battalion of the Ninth Infantry, the first six companies of the FirLt Co\<h- 

489 



490 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

rado Regiment, and two mountain guns. The men rolled themselves in their 
blankets and lay upon the wet grass for a few hours under a drizzling rain. 

At 4 o'clock on the morning of the 3rd, they began to cross the San 
Mateo river and about noon easily repulsed a large band of Filipinos about 
twelve miles east of Manila, between Mariquina and Antipolo. The Oregon 
regiment, the cavalry, the artillery and the Fourth Infantry accomplished this 
task, driving the insurgents from the hills, the other troops being held in 
reserve, but afterwards joining the main column in the pursuit towards the sea) 

A running fight was in progress all the afternoon. A Filipino outpost 
first attacked a few American scouts, whereupon the Fourth Cavalry formed 
a skirmish line and easily drove the insurgents into the hills. Then the Ore- 
gon regiment moved across a wet, soggy rice field, in extended order, toward 
the hills, where it was believed a large force of the enemy had concentrated. 
When the Oregonians were within about a mile of the position, the Filipinos 
opened a heavy fire, the Americans replying and pressing forward more 

rapidly. 

Insurgents Fleeing in a Panic. 

After a few volleys the insurgents were seen scattering over the crest of 
the hills in every direction, and their panic was increased when the artillery 
opened upon them and the shells began to explode all around them, undoubt- 
edly causing great loss of life. The bombardment by the batteries and the 
musketry was maintained for nearly half an hour, after which not a Filipino 
could be seen on the hills, and not a shot came from the position. The heat 
was intense and the troops suffered greatly, but they continued on the trail 
taken by the fleeing enemy in the hope of driving them toward the lake. 

Colonel Wholley with two battalions of the First Washington Regiment, 
a battalion of the Twelfth Infantry, two guns of Scott's Battery and a party 
of scouts under Major Jeisenberger left San Pedro Macari on the 3rd, and 
after forcing the river Pasig advanced northeast upon Cainta, while General 
Hall approached the town from the opposite direction, the gunboats Napidan, 
Covadonga and Ceste co-operating in the river. 

This important movement was kept so secret that the public thought the 
plan was to send General Ovenshine's lines forward against the insurgents 
who were intrenched south of the city. The Signal Corps displayed admir- 
able enterprise in laying wires with the troops, but the native sympathizers 
cut them behind the army, even within the American lines. 

General Hall's column in the movement upon the Morong peninsula 
completed a circuit of twenty miles, over rough and mountainous country^ 
having two engagements with the insurgents, one of them severe, keeping up 
an almost constant fire against scattered bands of rebels for nearly twenty- 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST TllK INSURGENTS. 491 

four hours from 4 o'clock on the morning of the yd, when the cohnnn left 
the pumping station. 

The Filipinos were driven in every direction, and the country through 
which General Hall passed was pretty thoroughly cleared. At 10 o'clock on 
the morning of the 4th, the column reached a point a few miles from Tay 
Tay, where General Hall was met by General Lawton, who had already 
entered the town and found it deserted. General Hall's objective point was 
Antipolo, ten miles off, and there was desultory firing all along the line of 
march. The gunboats could be heard shelling the hills in advance of the 
column. 

The column, after driving the rebels from the foothills near Mariachino, 
with a loss of but two or three slightly wounded, proceeded with all possible 
haste toward Laguna de Bay, the Fourth Cavalry in the lead, the Oregon 
Regiment next and the Fourth Infantry last. At 5 o'clock on the 3rd, these 
three regiments fought their second battle of the day, and it resulted, like the 
the first, in the complete rout of a large Filipino force located in the moun- 
tains and having every advantage of position. 

Our Troops Poured in a Hot Fire. 

In this fight the American loss was four killed — three of the Fourth 
Cavalry and one Oregonian — and about fifteen wounded. The Filipino loss 
could not be ascertained, but the terrific fire which the Americans poured 
into them for half an hour must have inflicted severe punishment. In this 
engagement our troops made one of the most gallant charges of the war, 
and the enemy was forced to flee in the greatest disorder. 

It was the intention to press on to Antipolo at night, but this was found 
impossible, owing to the two fights and the constant marching for more than 
twelve hours, with nothing to eat since morning and no supply train in sight. 
The troops, moreover, suffered from the intense heat, many being prostrated 
and all greatly exhausted. Consequently, they bivouacked for the night on 
the second battlefield. 

The cavalry, the Oregonians and two companies of the Fourth Infmtry 
had just crossed a small creek about 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 3rd and 
entered upon a sunken road, from which they were emerging upon a small 
valley surrounded on all sides by high and heavily wooded hills, when the 
rebels, concealed in the mountains on the three sides of the plain, opened a 
hot fire and sent showers of bullets into the ranks of the Americans. The 
latter deployed immediately in three directions. 

Then followed a charge across the rice fields and ditches and up the hill- 
sides, from which the shots came all the time pouring in a terrific hail, while 



492 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

the air resounded with the constant rattle of musketry. The Fourth Cavalry, 
being in front, suffered the severest loss when the attack opened, two of their 
killed being sergeants and the other a private. 

The natives were unable to stand the vigorous firing of the Americans 
long, and at the first sign of their wavering the cavalry, Oregonians and 
Fourth Infantrymen broke into wild cheers and charged still faster up the 
hillside, pouring in volley after volley, until the enemy left the places where 
they were partially concealed by the thicket, fled over the summit in the wild- 
est confusion and disappeared in the surrounding valleys. 

After the fight was over the firing was continued by the Americans for 
more than an hour in clearing out the bush and driving away straggling Fili- 
pinos. The troops, after camping for the night on the battlefields, started 
next morning for Antipolo, where it was expected a strong resistance would 
be made. Antipolo is a place far up in the mountains, which the Spaniards 
had said the Americans could never capture. It cost Spain the lives of 300 

troops. 

The Town Entirely Abandoned. 

The progress of the column was considerably delayed while passing up 
the steep mountain grade by a small band of insurgents, but these were cfll-c- 
tually routed by the Fourth Cavalry, which was in advance, and the troops 
reached Antipolo in a few hours. Our lines were immediately thrown around 
on three sides of the town, and then the final advance was made. But it was 
found unnecessary to fire a shot. Not a rebel was visible and the town was 
entirely abandoned. Two hours later, after a conference between General 
Lawton and General Hall, the column proceeded toward Morong to drive 
away any rebels found in that quarter. 

When the start was made for Antipolo in the morning the Oregon Regi- 
ment and the Ninth Infantry were left behind as a rear guard, and there was 
considerable firing along their lines in clearing the enemy from the high hill 
between their position and the lake. 

Morong was captured at noon on June 5th by Colonel Whalley with the 
First Washington Regiment and the army gunboats Napidan and Cavadonga. 
This regiment, which had been stationed at Pasig, moved north together with 
two battalions of the Thirteenth Infantry, four battalions of the Ninth Infantry 
part of the Nebraska Volunteers and Scott's guns of Dyer's Battery. This 
force, under the command of Colonel Whalley, joined General Hall in the 
attack on Cainta. It later moved its position near to Taytay and waited there 
until General Hall struck Antipolo when it took Taytay without loss. No 
resistance was made to our advance by the enemy, but the journey was 
exceedingly hard, owing to the difficult road and the intense heat. 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 493 

At daybreak on June loth, a force of 4,500 men, under Generals Lawton, 
"Wheaton and Ovenshine, advanced from San Pedro Macati, sweeping the 
country between the Bay of Manila and Bay Lake, south of Manila. By 
noon the country had been cleared almost to Paranaquc. The Americans lost 
two officers killed and twenty-one soldiers wounded. The rebels resisted des- 
perately at the stronger of their positions, and left fifty dead in the trenches. 
Many more wounded were left behind by the rebels in their retreat. The heat, 
during the day was overpowering, and there were many prostrations of Ameri-' 
can soldiers from that cause. 

General Lawton's force consisted of two battalions of the Twenty-first 
and Ninth Infantry, six companies of the Colorado volunteers and a detach- 
ment of artillery. The Nevada Cavalry was under General Wheaton, and the 
Thirteenth and Fourteenth Infantry, the Fourth Cavalry and a detachment of 
light artillery were under General Ovenshine. 

Dra^vn Up in Line for the Combat. 

It was scarcely dawn when the troops, in a long, silent procession, wound 
up the hillside behind the American trenches and formed a skirmish line. 
Concealed in the jungle the advance rebel outposts fired a few shots before 
being seen. The opposing forces occupied two ranges of crescent-shaped 
hills. 

The artiller>', the Colorado Infantry and the Nevada Cavalry swung around 
the hill-top on the left and opened the battle at 6.30. The rebels made no 
response from the hills, and the Colorado men cautiously advanced through 
the thick grass until they were confronted by a trench, from which a few weak 
volleys were fired. A spirited response followed, and a charge into the trench 
found it to be deserted. 

In the meantime part of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Infantry Regi- 
ments formed in skirmish line, extending a mile to the right, and, supported 
by the rest of the regiments, swept down the valley and up the hillside toward 
another trench. Approaching through the morass seriously hampered the 
Fourteenth, and the rebels, taking advantage of this, poured a galling fire 
upon them for thirty minutes. The Fourteenth was twice compelled to with- 
draw for the purpose of finding a safe crossing in the swamp. Finally the,, 
trench was enfiladed on both flanks. The rebels fled to the woods and sus- 
tained severe loss. 

General Lawton then pushed his entire command south, through the 
centre of the Isthmus until a few miles south of Paranaque, when he swung 
around and halted on account of the heat. 

General Wheaton's brigade moved in a column down the west shore of 



494 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

Laguna de Bay. After marching some miles in this order Wheaton's troops 
stretched out in a long skirmish line, swinging towards Paranaque and Las 
Pinas. The brigade under General Ovenshine advanced between General 
Wheaton's brigade and Paranaque, joining Wheaton just before he entered 
Paranaque. General Wheaton's advance over barren country was slow and 
accompanied with great suffering to the men. The land traversed was high 
and hilly, devoid of vegetation, and the blazing sun made the sandy soil terri- 
ble to march over. Besides, the insurgents constantly harassed the soldiers 
from the trenches located on the crests of the hills, from which they fired on 
the Americans and inflicted considerable loss. 

The Colorado Volunteers led the advance of General Wheaton's brigade. 
The march was a constant succession of gallant charges up the hillsides in 
the face of a galling fire, only to find each time that the insurgents had 
retreated to the next hilltop before the Colorado men reached them. These 
tactics were repeated time and again. 

Sharp Tactics of the Enemy. 

In one instance the Filipinos resorted to a clever deception. The Ameri- 
cans were lured into the trap, and, as a consequence, were subjected to a severe 
cross-fire for a time. The insurgents had placed a lot of damp straw in what 
the Americans supposed was a trench along one of the hilltops. The straw 
was set on fire and the thin line of smoke fooled the Americans into thinking 
that the trench was full of Filipinos, and that the smoke came from their 
rifles. 

The Americans made a dash for the supposed trench and poured volley 
after volley into the position. In the meantime the Filipinos, hidden in 
another trench, were subjecting the Americans to a galling fire. When the 
Americans discovered the hoax and started for the trench in which the insur- 
gents were hidden the Filipinos retreated in safety. 

During the advance, before the conjunction of the two brigades, many 
insurgents succeeded in passing through the American lines. They subse- 
quently attacked the stragglers and the signal corps in the rear of the general 
advance and caused much annoyance. 

The Fourteenth Infantry, of General Ovenshine's brigade, met with 
strong opposition from a band of Filipinos, which was in a large and strongly- 
constructed trench. The Americans were repulsed in their first and second 
attempts to capture this trench, but the third time they dashed up to the 
breastwork and gained possession of it, but most of the insurgents succeeded 
in making their escape. 

The most exciting incident of the day was the flank attack made upon 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 495 

General Wheaton's troops. The Americans were approaching Manila Bay, 
about a mile south of Las Pinas, for the purpose of completing the semicircle 
enclosing Las Pinas and Paranaque. General Lawton and General Wheaton, 
with their respective staffs, were in advance. In the following column were a 
troop of Fourth Cavalry, the Colorado Volunteers and the Ninth Infantry. 

On approaching Zapote River the advance guard met a sudden and fierce 
fire from across the stream. The Colorado men hurriedly formed a skirmish 
line alone the bank of the river. While attention was thus directed to the 
force across the river, the American officers were amazed to observe the 
insurgents had thrown out a long skirmish line 600 yards to the left. As 
soon as the American, line began its advance the insurgents opened with a 
fierce fire. The American line was between two fires, because all this time 
the rebels across the river were keeping up an incessant firing on our troops. 

Overtaken by a Fearful Storm. 

Two guns from the artillery were hurried out. They began to shell the 
insurgent lines, and the Filipinos, who had made the flank attack, retreated. 
They ran towards the lake, thus escaping from the semi-circles of American 
troops which had been drawn around Las Pinas and Paranaque, and also 
keeping in a position where they would be able to attack the Americans from 
the rear. 

The river opposed further advance, and the troops bivouacked there Satur- 
day night, sleeping on their arms in an open field. During the night a fear- 
ful rain-storm came up. The Americans were shelterless. All night long 
the insurgent bugles could be heard in Las Pinas. Those shrill blasts marked 
the departure of the Filipinos from that village before the only avenue of 
retreat was cut off". A big band of insurgents in the rear of the American 
line began a derisive yelling about midnight. Frequently, above the other 
din, could be heard the shouts of " Viva los Republica Filipina " (Hurrah fof 
the Filipino Republic). 

Early next morning the troops effected a crossing over the Zapote River 
and marched into Las Pinas. Hundreds of the inhabitants were found there 
peaceably attending to their affairs and all professedly friendly to the Ameri- 
cans. There were scores of young men of soldier age, but in civilian dress, 
who watched in silence the Americans enter the town. They offered no 
resistance, and being apparently friendly were not molested. The ^lonadnock 
assisted the soldiers by shelling Paranaque before the troops entered the 

village. 

A native priest said that the Filipino troops, numbering 2,000, com- 
manded by General Norils, had withdrawn toward Bacoor the day before. 



49G CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

General Lawton's forces had an all-day battle with the insurgents at 
Las Pinas on June 13th. He called out the whole force of 3,000, but at 5 
o'clock was only able to push the insurgents back 500 yards to the Zapote 
River, where they were intrenched. The insurgents resisted desperately and 
aggressively. They attempted to turn the left flank of the American troops. 
The American loss was conservatively estimated at sixty. 

General Lawton unexpectedly stirred up one of the liveliest engagem.ents 
of the war south of Las Pinas, when he made the attack. The American 
field guns were engaged in the first artillery duel against a Filipino battery 
concealed in the jungle. Companies F and I of the Twenty- first Infantry 
were nearly surrounded by a large body of insurgents, but the Americans cut 
their way out with heavy loss. 

The United States Turret ship Monadnock, and the gunboats Helena 
and Zafiro, trained their batteries on Bakoor and the rebel trenches near Las 
Pinas all the morning. Bakoor was once on fire, but the natives stopped the 
spread of the flames. During the night an insurgent cannon was fired three 
times at the Americans on the outskirts of the Las Pinas. 

General Lawton took a battalion of the Fourteenth Regiment and two 
companies of the Twenty-first Regiment to locate the rebel battery, and then 
two guns of the Sixth Artillery and four mountain guns were planted against 
it at 600 yards distance. The rebels had a large gun, from which they were 
firing home-made canister loaded with nails, and two smaller guns. 

Fighting under Difficulties. 

Their shooting was most i^ccurate. The first lot of canister burst directly 
in front of Scott's guns, and another shattered the legs of a private in the 
Fourteenth Infantry. Several shots struck the edge of the town. The coun- 
try traversed was as bad as it is possible to imagine, being mainly lagoons, 
mud and water fringed with bamboos. 

As soon as the fighting opened the Americans were attacked by hidden 
riflemen on al2 pides, even the Amigos, or " friendly " natives, in the houses of 
the town shooting into their rear. The companies of the Twenty-first, skir- 
mishing along the beach, with Amigo guides, found apparently a handful of 
rebels, who retreated. The men of the Twenty-first followed, and suddenly 
the rebels opened a terrific fire on the troops from the sides and rear. The " 
soldiers withdrew to the water's edge, finding what shelter they could, and 
were picked off rapidly. After their ammunition was nearly exhausted, the 
companies of the Twenty-first retreated, but General Lawton dashed down 
?.nd rallied the men. 

A little group made a desperate stand. General Lawton, Major Starr and 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 497 

Lieutenants Donovan and Donnelly taking rifles from the wounded men and 
firing at the enemy, bringing down some of the rebel sharpshooters from a 
tree. Finally their cartridges were all gone and they were forced to break 
\h rough the enemy's flank, carrying the wounded to the main body of the 
'.roops. Lieutenant Donovan, whose leg was broken, floir.sdered for a mile 
\lirough a bog, after leading his men in the face of a greatly superior force. 

General Lawton ceased fighting until reinforcements could be brought 
i\p Two battalions of the Fourteenth Regiment and one battalion of the 
Ninth Regiment were hurried to the front, and in the afternoon the battle was 
resumed. The Monadnock anchored close to the shore and her heavy guns 
oounded the rebels continuously, while the smaller warships, steaming along 
the shore, poured bullets from their rapid-fire guns at the enemy. 

The Filipino force engaged appears to have been the largest and best 
organized body of men which had met our troops. The Americans were 
compelled to advance along narrow roads and over small bridges commanded 
by earthworks ten feet thick. 

At daylight the rebels at Cavite Viejo dropped two shells from a big 
smooth-bore gun mounted in front of the church into the navy yard. The 
only damage done was splintering the top of the huge shears on the mole. 
The gunboats Calao, Manila and Mosquito then proceeded to dismount the 
gun. After breakfast the rebels opened fire along the beach to Bakoor. 

The Insurgents Used Artillery. 

After silencing the big gun at Cavite Viejo the gunboats ran close along 
the shore, bombarding the rebel position. The rebels replied with rifle fire 
and with the fire of some small pieces of artillery. So vigorous was the 
enemy's fire that at 9.20 A. M. the gunboat Helena joined the small gunboats 
already named and the Princeton, Monterey and Monadnock. from their 
anchorages, dropped occasional big shells among the rebels. This apparently 
only served to incite the rebels, as they kept up an incessant fire of musketry 
and artillery near the mouth of the Zapote River, two miles north of Bakoor. 

The fire of all seven warships was concentrated on this point shortly 
after noon, when the upper bay presented the appearance of being the scene 
of a great naval battle. The rebels were eventually forced to abandon th-rir 
guns after holding out for about four hours, only to be confronted by General 
Lawton's force on land and in their rear, where there was heavy fighting. 

Beyond the destruction of several buildings along the water front the 

effect of the bombardment was not known. The only means of crossing the 

Zapote was by a small bridge which the Filipinos commanded with trenches 

spreading V-shaped, whence they could concentrate their fire on the bridge^ 
32-D 



498 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

They also had the advantage of the trees and jungle, so the Americans could 
hardly see ahead. 

When the battle was resumed at i o'clock with the reinforcements, our 
battery having silenced the enemy's guns, the Americans wadmg waist deep 
in the mud of the salt flats slowly, and pouring steady volleys of musketry 
at the rebels, drove their opponents beyond the river. Then the two armies 
lay facing each other across the deep stream, the enemy practically out of 
sight, while the men in blue and khaki lay on mud and bushes, many of 
them without shelter, for three hours, without a moment's cessation in the 
firing, pouring bullets at the enemy as fast as they could load. 

" General Lawton, though exhausted by the morning fight, rallied by 
sheer will power and was the commanding figure in the battle. General 
Wheaton and General Ovenshine were equally courageous. In fact, the 
generals were among the few men on the battlefield who refused to take 
shelter under the hottest fire. The only approach to the fighting ground 
was by a narrow, winding road, where the rebel bullets dropped thickly, 
wounding several of our men. 

At 4 o'clock there was an hour's lull in the fighting, and an artillery 
sergeant galloped back to where two guns of the mountain battery were 
waiting in reserve and shouted: "Bring up those guns!" The sergeant 
then tumbled exhausted from his horse. 

Twenty wounded men were carried to a cascoe (native boat) waiting ' 
on the beach, which was rowed to Paranaque. This battlefield incidentally 
was formerly the scene of several of the greatest struggles between the 
Spaniards and the Filipinos. 

Hardest Battle of the War. 

General Lawton's troops took possession of Bacoor on the morning of 
the 14th without resistance, the enemy having retreated during the night in 
the direction of San Francisco and Imus, with the intention of making a 
stand at the latter town, which was understood to be strongly fortified and 
was beyond reach of the guns of the navy. 

The fight at the Zapote River was the most desperate and obstinate of 
all that occurred after the beginning of hostilities in February. Almost 
exactly a year before the insurgents of Cavite province fought the greatest 
engagement of the Spanish-Filipino war at this same place, defeating a strong 
force of Spaniards, which had been sent from Manila against them. Their 
successful defense of the bridge at that time doubtless inspired them with 
greater courage than they otherwise would have shown. The insurgents of 
Cavite province are the most warlike of any in the Island of Luzon. This is 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 499 

the province of Aguinaldo, and the men who were met and defeated by 
General Luwton's troops were those who did the severest fighting against the 
Spaniards under the direction of Aguinaldo and his immediate lieutenants. 

The Zapote River is two miles east of Bacoor. The Americans captured 
the passage of the river after a long and desperate battle in which ten were 
killed and forty-eight wounded. The insurgent loss was forty killed and one 
hundred and twenty wounded. Forty-eight armed Filipinos were captured 
by the Americans. The fighting began early in the forenoon and continued 
■ until evening. It was accompanied by a terrific bombardment by the Ameri- 
can warships lying near the shore. The insurgents used a six- inch cannon 
with considerable effect. The fighting ranged over a wide district which was 
almost impassable on account of the salt marshes, deep ditches and thick 
bamboo jungles with which it is overspread. 

Early on the morning of the 13th a battalion of the Fourteenth Infantry, 
which was doing outpost duty, were fired on from the bamboo thickets in 
their front. Thereupon Lieutenant Donovan led on 150 men from companies 
F. and I, of the Twenty-first Infantry, to make an armed reconnoissance to 
locate the enemy. A native was found who volunteered to conduct the 
Americans along a practicable passage through the marshes. The Americans 
were formed in a long column and advanced along a narrow strip of land 
lying next to Manila Bay, and in this march they passed far beyond the insur- 
gent trenches at the Zapote River. They struck inland, crossing dikes and 
broad ditches and keeping at all times a sharp lookout for the enemy. 

Poured a Terrific Fire into Them. 

Suddenly they tumbled on the insurgents' flank and straight/vaj' the 
enemy poured a terrific fire into them, which created great consternation. The 
centre of the American colunm broke under this attack and retreated. The 
two ends of the column, however, stuck to their positions and fought man- 
fully against an overwhelming force. The insurgents rushed through the 
broken centre, cutting off the American soldiers at the right end of the 
column from the rest of the force. Thus hemmed in by enemies »m all sides 
except in the direction of the bay, the soldiers retreated to the bridge, where 
they made a stand and fought for their lives. 

Eighteen Americans were wounded under this attack and two were 
killed, their bodies being left on the field. One of those killed was the native 
guide. The condition of the remnant, caught and surrounded by the natives, 
would have been desperate had it not been for the warships in the bay. The 
commanders of the monitor Monadnock and the gunboat Helena sent 100 
sailors ashore in boats with a rapid-fire gun, and these forming with the 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

soldiers strongly reinforced them. Lieutenant Connelly, who had been 
wounded, was c®nveyed to a ship in the bay. 

The sailors, on landing and forming for action, directed an enfilading fire 
on the trench guarding the passage of the Zapote River. General Lawton 
hurried forward a battalion of the Ninth Infantry to the assistance of the 
soldiers and sailors in their fight. The Monadnock, Helena, Manila, Albay 
and Callao began shelling the beach, and these combined forces of army and 
uavy soon drove the insurgents back into the jungle. 

About 2 o'clock in the afternoon an advance of the left of General 
Lawton's forces were ordered. The Twelfth and Fourteenth Infantry, with 
the mountain battery, attacked the insurgents that were entrenched beyond 
the river. The enemy fought with courage and intelligence, holding their 
fire until the Americans had come within close range and then pouring 
forth terrific volleys. The Americans advanced, as usual, by short rushes, 
doing splendid work, and never faltering in the face of the withering fire. 
The insurgents held to their trenches with desperation and were only driven 
out at last almost at the muzzles of the American guns. 

The Dead Lie in the Trenches. 

After the assault twenty dead insurgents were found in these trenches 
and seven wounded Filipinos were captured. Doubtless there were many 
more killed and wounded in these trenches, as counting was interrupted by 
the insurgents renewing the fight from a new position further on. Once 
more the battery was hurried forward, and the Ninth Infantry and part of 
the Twenty-first Infantry advanced with a cheer, meeting a heavy fire from 
the insurgents posted in the thick woods to the left, to where they had 
retreated when driven from the trenches. Some shots came also from the 
woods on the right, through which the right wing of the American forces 
had made its way an hour before. This last engagement was short but fierce, 
the insurgents being quickly silenced by the determined attack of the 
Americans. 

By this desperate battle the insurgents lost a district which they super- 
stitiously believed to be invulnerable against any attack of their enemies, it 
having been the scene of many former victories against the Spaniards. The 
American forces engaged were all regulars of the Ninth, Twelfth, Four- 
teenth and Twenty-first Infantry, and all of them showed magnificent valor. 
The sailors who were landed undoubtedly saved the detachment on the beach 
'from destruction or capture, and the hearty co-operation shown by these, 
and by the men at the guns on the warships, caused the soldiers to feel 
the warmest gratitude and affection for the men of the navy. 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 501 

The small gunboat Napidan, captured from the Filipinos, arrived at 
Manila June 17th, and her commander, Franklin, reported the details of an 
engagement with the rebels on the lake on June loth. While Brigadier- 
General Wheaton was fighting near Taguig, Franklin saw a party of 500 
insurgents advancing under cover of the bluffs to attack VVheaton's left flank. 
The Napidan steamed unseen by the rebels to within 500 yards of the shore, 
when she opened fire upon the enemy with every gun on board, two and 
".hree-inch Hotchkiss, revolving Colt, rapid-fire, Gatling and rifles in the 
"iands of the crew. It was a tremendous surprise to the insurgents. 

The first discharge scattered the rebels and threw them into utter confu- 
sion. The Filipino commander, who was mounted, belabored his men with 
the flat of his sword, striving to rally them, but they would not stand to be 
cut down by the murderous fire of the gunboat. Finally the rebels fled over 
the hill, the Napidan shelling them until the last man disappeared. General 
Wheaton first saw the insurgents as they were scrambling over the hill in 
their flight. He was ignorant of the reason of the demoralization, his own 
fire drowning that of the Napidan, The gunboat then steamed down the lake. 

Opened Fire on a Supply Train. 

A short distance down Franklin saw a Filipino supply train and opened 
fire upon it, destroying every cart and killing every Baraboo. Continuing 
down, he saw new barracks containing 500 insurgents, which were shelled 
and burned. After the barracks were destroyed Franklin with a detail of 
men went ashore and found nearly sixty dead Filipinos and several wounded 
rebels who had been left where they fell. PVanklin picked up an ofificer's sword, 
but it was impossible to distinguish officers from privates among the dead. 

Volcanic disturbances were in progress in the south central islands of 
the archipelago. Heavy earthquake shocks were felt at Iloilo, in the Island 
ot Panay. A volcano in the Island of Negros was in a state of eruption, 
and seismic shocks occurred at various places. The peculiar construction of 
buildings at Iloilo and other places affected prevented serious damage by the 
earthquake shocks. 

The Third Battalion of the Fourth Regiment, under the command of 
Major Bubb, and one gun of the Sixth Artillery, commanded by Lieutenant 
Koehler, started southward from Imus June 19th, on a reconnoissance, and 
met the enemy near Perez das Marinas. While the American troops were in 
a sunken road a force of insurgents attacked them on the left flank. The 
Americans retreated in good order for several miles, losing five killed and 
twenty wounded. 

Finally, being reinforced by Robinson's Battalion of the Fourth Infantry, 



502 CAMPAIGN AGAINST TIi£ INSURGENTS. 

they advanced upon the foe. The fighting still continued until the enemy 
was driven off, with considerable loss. Our loss during the day amounted to 
a total of forty killed and wounded. 

Reports were received that Dasmarinas had been deserted by the insur- 
gents. The Alcalde of the place came to Imus and formally surrendered his 
town. The houses along the roadside were filled with natives professedly 
friendly, and the battalion advanced confidently until within three-fourths of 
a mile of Dasmarinas, when they discovered the enemy, paralleling the road 
at a long distance on both sides and practically surrounding the little force. 
Natives began firing from houses in the rear, and natives in white clothes 
were captured with guns in hand. 

The whole scheme was to wipe out the small body of American troops, 
and might have succeeded but for the marvelous courage of the troops and 
officers. The fight began at noon, and the enemy's fire was silenced in one 
hour. The Americans, on retiring, discovered that they were surrounded. 

Desperate Rushes by the Enemy. 

The skirmish lines were crowding the Filipinos back toward Imus. Out- 
flankers were thrown out right and left under a flanking fire. The rear guard 
was desperately holding the enemy's ru.shes in check in spite of an incessant 
and galling fire on the main road. Men were falling everywhere, the ambu- 
iances being filled and carts were impressed and loaded with the wounded, 
and dragged by hand by the prisoners. Two of our dead were left behind. 
At 3 o'clock it looked as if nothing could save the battalion. At 4 it had 
pressed the enemy off to the right, and was at last behind them, and fifteen 
minutes later Captain Hazzard, an aide to General Wheaton, pushed through 
alone with the news that Wheaton was coming to their relief The men 
cheered wildly as they sprang at the Filipinos. 

General Wheaton found the enemy a thousand strong moving to inter- 
cept the road where it runs at right angles. He opened on them with shrap- 
nel, and mowed down the insurgents. The way cleared, our left advanced 
rapidly, and at 4.30 had the enemy in full rout and gained a mile and a half 
of lost ground. The regiment bivouacked at last in the rice fields, and food 
and ammunition were rushed forward. It was the most determined and best- 
planned resistance yet made by the Filipinos. 

General Wheaton makes the following statement: "lam glad to .-^ay, 
that in to-day's reconnoissance the Fourth Infantry, who held back 2,000^ 
insurgents for three hours, acted with the gallantry, courage and coolness of 
veterans. Major Bubb, commanding, and every officer on the field should 
receive congratulations on their heroism and the manner they handled this 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. '0? 

handful of men against such an overwhelming force. The movement averted 
a contemplated attack on Imus by the entire Filipino army south," 

The more thoroughly all the facts regarding the battle near Perez des 
Marinas are investigated, the more clear is it that General Whcaton saved 
the First Battalion of the Fourth Infantry from a great disaster by his 
timely arrival on the scene with reinforcements. Two miles from a village on 
the Imus road the battalion fought two thousand insurgents until its ammu- 
nition was almost exhausted. It had its ambulance full of wounded, and was 
compelled to abandon two of its dead which, when recovered later in the 
afternoon, were found to have been horribly mutilated. 

As Major Bubb marched toward Perez des Marinas in the morning the 
houses along the six miles of road which were traversed without a hostile 
demonstration were covered with white flags, and tokens of friendship were 
displayed by the people. 

When the troops arrived at the sunken road Major Shiels, the regimental 
surgeon, discovered that a large body of armed insurgents was marching in 
a parallel column three hundred yards to the right of the Americans, and had 
evidently been following the column for some distance, keeping their relative 
position to the American advance by the aid of barking dogs and other noises 
accompanying the passage of so large a body of men. They also had four 
flankers on either side of the advance guard of the Americans. 

Insurgents Renew the Attack. 

When these ominous facts were reported to Major Bubb, commanding 
the Fourth Infantry, who accompanied the battalion, his command was 
deployed to the right under cover of an irrigation dike, which paralleled the 
sunken road. These arrangements were scarcely completed when the firing 
began heavily on both sides, and after a number of steady volleys from the 
First Battalion the enemy's fire was silenced, whereupon Major Bubb gave 
the order to withdraw in the direction of Imus. 

For ten minutes after the movement began there was no firing, but as 
soon as the insurgents realized that the Americans were withdrawing they 
formed again down the road which the Fourth Infantry had to pass and on 
the left flank, and renewed the attack. The withdrawal began at i o'clock 
in the afternoon. 

The movement was very slow, and every step had to be contested with 
the enemy. The 2.000 insurgents were making a supreme effort to destroy^ 
the Americans, and were sending in a galling fire from all directions. Lieu- 
tenant Kohler's one field gun was used with telling effect on the enemy, and 
assisted materially in opening a path for the harassed battalion. One com- 



504 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

pany was cut off at one time from the rest of the force, and was compelled to 
charge twice over an open fire-swept field to regain its place on the left of the 
advancing column. The sunken road afforded no protection. 

The ambulance containing the dead and wounded was under fire continu- 
ally, and as the supply of ammunition became nearly exhausted the condition 
of the Americans was desperate. Lieutenant Wolf, with his men, was sent 
to the left flank, and there fought with great heroism. Four hours of this kind 
of fighting had taken the battalion only three miles in its retreat. Then it made 
a stand to collect and care for the wounded. 

Frightful Storm of Bullets. 

At that time Lieutenant Hazlett, an aide to General Wheaton, and Lieu- 
tenant Cunningham, of the signal corps, galloped up the Imus road bringing 
word that reinforcements were on the way. Hearty American cheers greeted 
this welcome news. The Filipinos answered with a heavier fire, their bullets 
sweeping the road with fearful effect. At last the guns of General Wheaton's 
men, consisting of the Second Battalion of the Fourth Infantry, were heard 
on the left. This soon turned the tide of battle. 

The fresh troops, with their ammunition belts well filled, dashed to the 
relief of the First Battalion. Deploying on the left and charging front with 
precision, they drove the insurgents for a distance and recovered the dead 
bodies of the Americans which had been left behind. 

Throughout the action the conduct of the men was magnificent, though 
at times it seemed as if they could expect nothing except destruction. The 
officers remained cool, riding along the road and giving their orders with a 
calmness which added much to the confidence of the men. The enem)- :■ 
the end of the engagement was driven in confusion off the field, and was f ■■ 
lowed within two miles of Pedez des Marinas, when darkness put an end t. 
the engagement. 

The American loss was four killed and twenty wounded. Ninety-three 
dead Filipinos were recovered from a part of the battlefield, and many more 
doubtless were slain during the battle. 

At this juncture of affairs Aguinaldo took charge of the army formerly 
under command of General Luna, who, as reported, was assassinated by com- 
mand of the insurgent leader. He massed the largest force yet brought 
together, about 8,ooo men, bringing 2,000 from the Antipolo region. The 
i enemy became very troublesome and constantly annoyed our troops, who had 
'to be on the alert to repel the attacks, and were compelled to sleep on 
their arms. Aguinaldo seemed fully resolved to continue his warfare, and it 
was surprising how rapidly he brought forward his forces. 



VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THK INSURGENTS. 505 

On July 20th, severe fighting took place at Bobong. Captain Byrne, of 
the Sixth Infantry, with seventy men, surprised a force of 450 Babaylones, of 
whom 115, by actual count, were killed and many more were wounded. Only 
one of the enemy was captured. The American loss was one man killed and 
one wounded. Fighting was mostly at close quarters with bayonets and 
clubbed guns. A. large quantity of supplies and arms were captured. 

Captain Byrne was commanding a battalion operating in the Carlota dis- 
.trict of the island of Ncgros. 

Unprecedented rains at this time prevented military operations on a 
large scale or advances covering long distances. Many miles of the country 
were flooded to a depth of three or four feet. The Paranaque Bridge, which 
was considered impregnable, was swept away, cutting off temporarily the gar- 
risons of Imus and Bacor from communication with Manila. 

In these circumstances it was impossible to move wagon trains, as the 
trails were doubtful. Pack mules were utilized whenever it became possible 
for soldiers to make marches. Officials had their hands full in arranging for 
the departure of volunteers and in settling the regulars who replaced them. 

Capture of an Important Town. 

On July 26th, an expedition comprising troops from San Pedro Macati, 
Pasig and Morong, under Brigadier General R. H. Hall, captured Calamba, 
an important trading town on the south shore of Laguna de liay. There 
were two hours of sharp fighting, during which four soldiers were killed and 
twelve wounded. The troops boarded cascoes the preceding night. The 
force comprised 400 of the Washington Volunteers, 450 of the Twenty-first 
Infantry, 150 of the Fourth Cavalry and two guns of the First Artillery. 
The.se and the gunboats Napidan and Oeste assembled opposite Calamba. 

A force under Captain McGrath, of the Twenty-first Infantry, and Cap- 
tain Eltonherd landed east of the town, but found a river intervening. Cap- 
tain McGrath and Lieutenant Batson swam the river under a fire from twenty 
Mauser rifles. Having crossed the stream the oflFicers procured a casco to 
ferry the troops over. The insurgents retreated through the town, shooting 
from houses and bushes as they fled to the hills. Three members of the 
Washington regiment waded from ca.scoes through swamps, often shouldei 
deep, while a group of Filipinos concealed in hay.stacks were shooting at 
them, until the Napidan focussed her six-pounders and Catling guns on the 
stacks for a few minutes. 

A number of friendly natives emerged from the bushes with white flags. 
After the fight a dozen men holding up their hands and shouting " Catsillanos! " 
Tnet the American cavalry. Even Spanish soldiers embraced Americans hys- 



506 VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

terically. There were fifty Spanish prisoners at Calamba, of whom some were 
civil officials and some were soldiers. They had been given the choice of 
joining the Filipino army or becoming servants to Filipinos, and chose the 
army, intending to surrender at the first opportunity. 

Major-General Henry W. Lawton, Professor Dean C. Worcester, of the 
American Philippines Commission ; Mrs. Lawton and General Lawton's son ac- 
companied the expedition on board a launch and sat coolly in an unprotected 
boat close to the shore during the fighting, the bullets splashing about them. 

Lieutenant Larsen, commanding the Napidan, found a long missing 
Spanish gunboat, which had been covered with bushes and fish nets so as not 
to resemble a vessel. The Filipinos, having met reinforcements, and thinking 
that the Americans had evacuated the town, descended from the hills, intend- 
ing to reoccupy Calamba. General Hall easily drove them back. The Gen- 
eral left a garrison at Calamba. 

Spirited Fight at Calamba. 

It was reported in Filipino circles in Manila that the insurgents had 
received consignments of saltpetre and lead from Japan. They had been 
experiencing many difficulties in the manufacture of good powder, that which 
they produced lacking power of penetration and range. 

Calamba is a town on Laguna de Bay, about thirty miles southeast of 
Manila. It is much further south than the United States troops had before 
penetrated on land. It is in the province of Laguna. It has a population of 
n,476, and is twenty-seven miles from Santa Cruz, on the eastern shore of 
the bay. 

Later details of the fight at Calamba showed that it was a warm one. 
The insurgents were unwilling to abandon the place, which is the key to the 
lake road. General Hall, hearing that General Malbar was preparing to make 
an attack, sent Major Weisenberger with three companies of the Twenty-first 
Infantry, three troops of cavalry and one of Hamilton's guns to attack the 
insurgents. This detachment found a force of l,ooo rebels behind hastily 
made intrenchments. The rebels held their fire until the contingent of the 
Twenty-first Regiment was within 300 yards, when they fired a volley. The 
Americans dropped in the high grass out of sight and returned the fire. 

Lieutenant Love, who was walking erect along the front of the men, was 
shot in the arm. An insurgent officer, equally brave, stood at the top of the 
trenches, directing the fire of the insurgents until he was killed, when the 
Filipinos fled. 

During the fighting on the north side of the town a small body of insur- 
gents attempted to enter on the south side, but a troop of cavalry repulsed 



VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THF INSURGENTS. 507 

» 

them. The total American loss at Calamb.i wa.' seven killed and twenty 
wounded. Sixteen dead insurgents were found. 

The army transport Senator arrived at San Francisco on the evening of 
August 1st, with 746 soldiers, comprising the Tenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
and the dead body of their commanding officer, Colonel Alexander L. Hawkins, 
on board. Not a man of the Tenth was on the sick list. 

The Senator was sighted off the Golden Gate at 7.30 in the evening, and 
was immediately boarded by the medical officers of the port and the Federal 
quarantine surgeon, Captain Raymond. A clean bill of health was quickly 
given by both local and national authorities upon the representation of Cap- 
tain Patterson, commanding the transport, and Lieutenant Colonel Barnett, 
that all were well on board, and the Senator steamed rapidly into the harbor 
and dropped anchor in the bay, off the main docks of the city. 

Noisy Demonstrations in the Harbor. 

As the Senator was steaming in, the transport Indiana, with over 500 
men, assigned to different regiments in the Philippines, was plowing her way 
out, and the tugboats and small craft that crowded forth to meet the home- 
coming heroes joined their welcoming greetings with noisy speedings of the 
departing soldiers. 

The noble soldiers of the Tenth, triumphant as they are. came home in 
mourning. Their loved commander. Colonel Hawkins, who, full of life and 
energy, passed through San Francisco in June, 1898, on his way to the Far 
East, where he gave his life to his country, returned only to be laid in his 
grave. He died of cancer on board ship when two days out from Manila. 

Colonel Alexander L. Hawkins was fifty-eight years old and was the 
senior colonel of the Pennsylvania National Guard before his command was 
mustered into the volunteer service. He was affectionately known as " Pop" 
Hawkins, and had two sons in the service. 

Colonel Hawkins had a good Civil War record. He enlisted as a private, 
was promoted for braver}', and at the close of the war was captain of a colored 
company of fighters. There is an old story in Washington county that 
Captain Hawkins was the only man that marched a body of American soldiers 
into Canada. During the Civil War, while with a party at Niagara Falls, he 
wanted to cross to the Canadaian side. The party was stopped by British 
soldiers, who were on guard. Captain Hawkins ordered his men to go for- 
ward, there was a clash, but the Americans crossed to Canada and came back. 

Colonel Hawkins, before his command was mustered into the volunteer 
service, was the senior colonel of the State guard. He was elected to the com- 
mand of the Tenth in 1879 and made it one of the best regiments in the country. 



508 VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

Lieutenant Lewis Provence McCormick, Assistant Surgeon of the Tenth 
Regiment, a native of Connellsville, had perhaps the most varied experience 
of any officer of the famous Tenth. He acted as its Assistant Surgeon, was 
attached to the Brigade Ambulance Corps, then appointed surgeon to the 
Laguna de Bay, the first of the Philippine tin-clads, and when this fleet of 
small warships was increased to six, became the fleet surgeon. Dr. McCor- 
mick encountered some interesting episodes, and has given an interesting 
account of his experience in Luzon : 

" When the Tenth reached Manila we were located at Camp Dewey, four 
miles from the city, during the period of the siege. There were no tents to 
keep the water out, and the beds of the men were soaked nightly, but there 
was very little sickness. There were seven companies on the firing line on 
the night of the 31st of July at the battle of Malate. Five companies were 
in the comparatively new trenches of the Filipinos, which really afforded very 
little protection. Our hospital had been located in an English residence, 100 
yards from the line. 

"' About 10.30 I heard the rattle of musketry above the terrible storm. 
I started out to find our men, but the darkness was so intense that I turned 
back to the hospital. The first man brought in was a Californian, to whom 
I had spoken but a few moments before. He was dead. 

Treating the Wounded in Darkness. 

" It was not long before they began to bring back our own men. The 
hospital itself was nothing but a bamboo house, which afforded no protection 
from bullets, and little from the storm. The wind blew so that it was impos- 
sible to keep any candles burning. When a man was brought in it was almost 
impossible to tell Vihether he was wounded or dead, and we had to feel all 
over him in the dark/iess to find out just how he was hurt. 

" There were no ambulances. Many of them, had their wounds dressed in 
semi-darkness. We improvised litters by taking out the shell windows of the 
hospital, and on these the wounded were taken back to Camp Dewey. That 
you may understand V/hat I mean by shell windows, I will explain that very 
few of the houses have glass, a transparent shell being used instead. 

'* The firing of th^ Spaniards that night was terrific, and it was a hot 
introduction to real war [or the tenderfeet, such as most of us were. It was 
i the unprotected Companies D and E that suffered the most in this night. 
Company D had 14 out of 47 men hit, or 25 per cent. Only one was killed. 
This was the greatest per centage of wounded suffered by any company in 
the regiment. Company E had the greatest per centage of men killed. It 
lost five that night. 



VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. oOf) 

"On the 6th of August following I was detached and put in the Ambu- 
lance Corps ; there were four officers and lOO men. We anticipated a battle, 
and I was ordered to intercept all carromettas (little pony carts) and impress 
them as ambulances, of which we were sadly in need. We went out on the 
road in the morning and gathered in thirty of them. My headquarters were 
at Pasay, when the bombardment of Manila began at 9.30 in the morning. 

" The Thirteenth Minnesota and the Astor Battery advanced as soon as 
they heard Dewey's guns, and the Twenty-third regulars were ordered for- 
ward as reinforcements. I followed with our improvised ambulances, but the 
roads were knee-deep in mud and the ponies could not go out of a walk. 
We, however, succeeded in getting to the front in time to take care of the 
wounded. 

" I established headquarters in the church of Santa Anna with twenty- 
five wounded. After their injuries were dressed they were placed in the car- 
romettas with a soldier with a fixed bayonet beside each driver. This was 
done to prevent the Filipino drivers running away, which several of them 
succeeded in doing. In this manner we started for the city, and on our way 
passed our men drawn up across the road with fixed bayonets, to keep the 
Filipinos from entering the city with their arms. 

Threatening Signs of Insurrection. 

" In that instant I saw the menace of a future insurrection on the part of 
Aguinaldo's troops. As I passed through the lines, a captain of the Thir- 
teenth Minnesota said : ' For God's sake, tell the General to send reinforce- 
ments here at once; if he does not we cannot keep these niggers back.' 

" The next day we were ordered back to Camp Dewey. Instead of going 
by the road we went around the bay, and as it was high tide we were com- 
pelled sometimes to wade waist-deep in water. When we got back to camp 
we found no guard there except a few convalescents. On our way to Camp 
Dewey we passed Fort San Antonio Abed, or Fort Malate, as it is sometimes 
called. It was a mass of ruins, which we were glad to see, because it had 
greatly annoyed us. We found six dead Spaniards inside and buried them. 

" Rumors of an insurrection continued to occur from this on, and one 
officer and myself, with a few convalescents, did guard duty one night at the 
camp, fearing an attack. Subsequently we found that there had been no 
necessity for our precautions. A few da)^s later my ambulance division was 
ordered back to the city. We were conducted to quarters in the Spanish 
Military Hospital, which is now the First Reserve Hospital. Here I was 
detailed as attending physician at this First Reserve Hospital, with four wards 
under my charge. Subsequently the small-pox broke out, and I was assigned 



510 VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

to the charge of the contagious ward for a month, and was then reheved by 
another surgeon. 

" My duties kept me at the Reserve Hospital until about January 31st, 
when the prevalent malaria attacked me and I went to Corregidore Island. 
We all knew the insurrection was coming, and I secured leave as soon as 
possible to get back to the city. The second day after my return, on the 
night of the 4th of February, at half-past nine o'clock, the insurrection broke 
out. At two o'clock the following morning I received orders to join the gun- 
boat Laguna de Bay. My commanding officer was thoughtful enough to 
consider that if I remained with the ambulance corps I would be compelled 
to ride a horse, which would have been uncomfortable in my condition, and 
assigned me to the gunboat. 

Under the Guns of the Enemy. 

" This Laguna de Bay which subsequently became the flagship of the tin- 
clad fleet had been an excursion boat up the Pasig from Manila. She was 
100 feet long by 40 feet wide, a side-wheeler, which our folks bought and 
armed. She was encased in an armor of three-eighths of an inch boiler plate all 
around and carried two 3-inch guns, two i -65-100 Hotchkiss and four Gat- 
ling guns in a fighting top on the upper deck. She was manned by volun- 
teers from the Third Artillery, the Utah Battery and the First South Dakota 
principally, but somebody from every regiment v/as among her crew. Walter 
Dempsey represented the Tenth Regiment, Company E. He was an American 
who enlisted at Honolulu, giving his residence at Los Angeles, Cal. 

" The boat had left before the hour fixed, my orders being to join her at 
daylight. She was up the river beyond the firing line, and I had to Avalk up 
and wait for her until she dropped back. The First Californians were en- 
gaged at this time. The Filipinos had two modern Krupp 3-inch guns lying 
on the bank waiting for the Laguna de Bay. They also had a cable strung 
across the river in such a position that it would hold the gunboat and bring 
her right under the guns. We had been ordered not to go beyond a certain 
point because we knew of the guns, and so we lay to around a bend and 
shelled Santa Ana. That was on the 5th of February, the day of the big 
killing of the Filipinos. 

" I cannot describe the scenes of that day. I saw hundreds of natives 
mowed down like grass. There were open fields on either side of the river, 
and in attempting to escape, the Gatling guns from our main top caught them. 
It became a slaughter, and for humanity's sake our gunners ceased firing. 
For five weeks after this we lay at San Pedro, but we had some fighting every- 
where. The natives would screen themselves on the bank and shoot at the 



VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 511 

boat whenever they had nothing else to do. This constant irritation angered 
General King, and though we were not under his control, at his request we 
went up the river to Gudalupe Church and cleaned out the Filipinos on both 
sides. 

" We would sail past their line and fire upon them from the flank, but as 
soon as we dropped back they would immediately reoccupy their trenches. 
We did this seven times, and in that period had one man killed and six 
wounded on the boat. In March we made a general advance and our boat 
did great execution. The insurgents put obstructions in the Pasig River, 
but we passed them and accomplished our purpose. By this time we had a 
fleet of three boats, having captured some Spanish craft at Santa Cruz, and 
fitted them up as river gunboats. I confess I had my hands full at times, for 
I was the only surgeon on this little fleet. 

The Boat Caught in Ambush. 

"The most interesting time that I recollect was on the Bulucan River. 
The Laguna de Bay and the Napindan, another tinclad, went up the river, 
where the whole insurgent army was lying at Calocan and Bulucan. We 
steamed up simply to make a diversion and to let the natives see we could 
get past their lines. They were lying in wait for us on both banks and never 
betrayed their presence until we were right in their midst. They concealed 
themselves behind the dykes of the river. In an instant it seemed as if we were 
in the centre of a hail of bullets. They kept up this for quite a while, but we 
stayed with them until we were forced to withdraw on account of the tide 
going out, although we could not do very much damage, so secure were they 
in their intrenchments. 

'' In this engagement we had four men wounded. The Laguna de Bay 
dropped off into the bay, and I went in a row-boat to the Napindan, where 
several men had been wounded. While on the latter boat she went aground, 
with the insurgents keeping up a constant fire on her. The gunboat Helena 
was lying out in the bay, and, hearing the firing, sent her steam launch to see 
if it could be of any assistance. The launch came as near the Napindan as 
possible, and after I had finished my duties I jumped into a skiff and rowed to 
the launch. It was a pretty lively time, for the instant the insurgents got a 
sight of us in the skiff we became their target. 

" Finally we reached the launch and started down the river, keeping a 
constant fire from a Colt's rapid-fire gun which the little craft had mounted in 
her bow. We were not more than a hundred yards from the bank when the 
launch, which was nothing more than an open boat with a gasoline engine in 
iiie centre, ran hard and fast aground. For four hours we had to lay there 



512 VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

under the fire of the natives, who were concealed at some distance back from 
the bank. We kept up a fire with the Colt machine gun and finally got away- 
unscathed. 

"Those Malay insurgents have no enterprise. If they had they could 
have captured all of us without difficulty, for the water at no place was more 
than three feet deep, and we were not more than fifty yards from the bank. 
I regard this as the most interesting day in all my experience. 

"Another memorable day was when our fleet of tinclads captured Guagua 
and Saxmoan ; the former is a city of 15,000 inhabitants, and the latter has 
5000. We shelled Saxmoan, which was guarded by about two hundred 
natives. We had over eighty men on our fleet, and the natives ran like fright- 
ened cattle, burning their town behind them. The Mayor of Guagua, who 
was a member of the Philippine Congress, came down to the bank and sur- 
rendered the town. A large number of our men went up into the city and 
wandered around unmolested. After they returned we were compelled to 
withdraw from the failure of reinforcements from General MacArthur to reach 
us. The withdrawal caused us to lose all that we had gained." 

General MacArthur Again in the Field- 
Military operations in the Philippines were nearly suspended during the 
rainy season, but on August 9, 1899, General MacArthur, with a force of 4,000 
men pushed northward five miles from San Fernando, meeting and defeating 
6,000 insurgents, who left many dead and wounded on the field in their 
retreat. The American loss in several sharp encounters was -known to have 
been at least eight killed and twenty-six wounded. The objective pomt was 
Angeles, one of the richest towns north of Manila. 

The American's position had long been unpleasant. The rebels almost 
surrounded San Fernando, and fired into it almost every night, the Americans 
not replying, except on extreme provocation. It was necessary to keep 500 
or 600 men constantly on outpost duty. 

The movement on Angeles had been planned for some time, but was 
delayed by rains. Finally two days of sunshine dried the ground sufficiently 
to warrant the attempt. 

Armored cars, each with a 6-pounder and two Gatling revolving cannon 
on board, moved out on the railroad track in the centre of our lines. Their 
guns did sharp execution throughout the day. The Filipinos were evidently 
surprised at the movement, having expected the American forces to move 
against Tico. They were well protected by trenches and followed their usual 
tactics of holding their positions until the American fire became too warm and 
then retreating in disorder 



VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. M 

On August 28th there was a great demonstration at Pittsburg in lionor 
of returning soldiers. Through cheering multitudes of people, who packed 
ei"'ht miles of sidewalks, occupied every window and observation point along 
the route, and alternated their cheers with tears, the Tenth Penns)lvania 
Volunteers, the only volunteer regiment east of the Mississippi to see Philip- 
pine service, triumphantly marched through Pittsburg. 

The occasion was made memorable by the presence of the President of 

the United States, Major General Wesley Merritt, General Francis V. Greene, 

United States Senator Boies Penrose, the Governor of the State, and other 

prominent persons who gathered to receive the farmer boys who made an 

honorable record in the Spanish and Philippine wars. The President delivered 

a speech, in which he welcomed home the members of the regiment, and 

made an em[)liatic declaration of his Philippine policy. He relieved General 

Otis of all blame and criticism, and said he assumed all the responsibility 

for the campaign. The latter would not stop, he said, until the insurrection 

was suppressed and American authority acknowledged and established beyond 

question. 

Vast Crowd of Patriots. 

The speech was delivered in the presence of 40,000 to 60,000 people, 
and those who heard it cheered until they were tired. It was a great day 
for Pittsburg, the crowd, it is claimed, being the largest that ever assembled 
there. After the speech-making all the commissioned officers of the regi- 
ment were given gold-mounted swords, and each private and non-commis- 
sioned officer received a bronze medal, presented to them by the people of 
Western Pennsylvania. 

Governor Stone introduced President McKinley, who received an enthu- 
siastic reception. The greatest applause came from the soldiers, and when 
they cheered it was like the victorious cry of an American army rushing to 
victory. The President said : 

" Governor Stone and my Fellow-citizens : I am glad to participate with 
the families, friends and fellow-citizens of the Tenth Pennsylvania Volunteers 
in this glad reunion. 

'■ You have earned the plaudits not alone of the people of Pennsylvania, 
but of the whole nation. Your return has been the signal for a great demon- 
stration of popular regard from your landing in the Golden Gate on the 
Pacific to your home-coming, and here you find a warmth of welcome and a 
greeting from joyous hearts, which tell better than words the estimate of your 
countrymen, and their high appreciation of the services you have rendered 
the country. You made secure and permanent the victory of Dewey. You 
added new glory to American arms. You and your brave comrades engaged 
33- D 



514 VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

on other fields of conflict have enlarged the map of the United States, and 
extended the jurisdiction of American liberty. 

" But while we share in the joy that is yours, there remain with us sof- 
tened and hallowed memories of those who went forth with you not found in 
your ranks to-day. Your noble colonel, devoted to his men, beloved by his 
command, and respected by his superior officers, gave his life to his country 
/with many others of his comrades. The nation sorrows with the bereaved. 
These heroes died for their country, and there is no nobler death. 

" Our troops represented the courage and conscience, the purpose and 
patriotism of their country. Whether in Cuba, Porto Rico, or the Philippines, 
or at home awaiting orders, they did their full duty, and all sought the post 
of greatest peril. They never faltered. The Eighth Army Corps in the 
Philippines have made a proud and exceptional record. Privileged to be 
mustered out in April, when the ratifications of the treaty of peace were 
exchanged, they did not claim the privilege — they declined it They volun- 
tarily remained in the service, and declared their purpose to stay until their 
places could be filled by new levies, and longer if the government needed 
them. Their service — and they understood it — was not to be in camp or gar- 
rison, free from danger, but on the battle line, where exposure and death con- 
fronted them, and where both have exacted their victims. 

Stood by Their Guns. 

** They did not stack arms. They did not run away. They were not 
serving the insurgents in the Philippines or their sympathizers at home. 
They had no part or patience with the men, few in number, happily, who 
would have rejoiced to see them have laid down their arms in the presence ol 
an enemy whom they had just emancipated from Spanish rule, and who 
should have been our firmest friends. They furnished an example of devotion 
and sacrifice which will brighten the glorious record of American valor. 
They have secured not alone the gratitude of the government and the people, 
but for themselves and their descendants an imperishable distinction. They 
may not fully appreciate, and the country may not, the heroism of their con- 
duct and Its important support to the government. I think I do, and so I am 
here to express it. 

" The mighty army of volunteers and regulars, numbering over two hun- 
dred and fifty thousand, which last year responded to the call of the govern- 
ment with an alacrity without precedent or parallel, by the terms of their 
enlistment were to be mustered out, with all of the regulars above 27,000, 
when peace with Spain was effected. Peace brought us the Philippines, by 
treaty session from Spain. Ihe Senate of the United States ratified the 



VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST Till- INSURGENTS. 515 

treaty. Every step taken was in obedience to the requirements of the Consti- 
tution. It became our territory and is ours, as much as the Louisiana pur- 
chase or Texas, or Alaska. 

" A body of insurgents in no sense representing the sentiment of the 
people of the islands, disputed our lawful authority, and even before the rati- 
• fication of the treaty by the American Senate, were attacking the very forces 
who fought for and secured their freedom. 

" This was the situation in April, 1899, the date of the exchange of ratifi- 
cations, with only 27,000 regulars subject to the unquestioned direction of the 
Executive, and they for the most part on duty in Cuba and Porto Rico, or 
invalided at home after their severe campaign in the tropics. Even had they 
been available it would have required months to transport them to the Phil- 
ippines. 

Heroes of the Battlefield. 

" Practically a new army had to be created. These loyal volunteers in 
the Philippines said : ' We will stay until the government can organize an 
army at home and transport it to the seat of hostilities. ' They did stay, 
cheerfully, uncomplainingly, patriotically. They suffered and sacrificed, they 
fought and fell, they drove back and punished the rebels who resisted P'ed- 
eral authority and who with force attacked the sovereignty of the United 
States in its newly acquired territory. Without them then and there we 
would have been practically helpless on land, and our flag would have had 
its first stain and the American name its first ignominy. 

" The brilliant victories of the army and navy in the bay and city of 
Manila would have been won in vain, and our obligations to civilization 
would have remained temporarily unperformed, chaos would have reigned, 
and whatever government there was would have been by the will of one man 
and not by the consent of the governed. Who refused to sound the retreat ? 
Who stood in the breach when others weakened ? Who resisted the sugges- 
tion of the unj^atriotic that they should come home? Let me call the roll of 
the regiments and battalions that deserve to be perpetuated on the nation's 
annals. Their action was not a sudden impulse under excitement, but a 
deliberate determination to sustain, at the cost of life if need be, the honor of 
their government and the authority of its flag. 

First California, California Artillery. First Colorado, 

First Idaho, Fifty-first Iowa, Twentieth Kansas, 

Thirteenth Minnesota, First Montana. First Nel)raska, 

First North Dakota, Nevada Cavalry. Second Oregon, 

Tenth Pennsylvania, First South Dakota, First Tennessee, 

Utah Artillery, First Washington, First Wyoming, 
Wyoming Battery. 



616 VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 

" To these must be added about 4,000 enlisted men of the regular army 
who were entitled to their discharge under the peace proclamation of April 
II, 1899, the greater portion of whom participated in the engagements of the 
Eighth Corps, and are still performing arduous services in the field. 

" Nor must the navy be forgotten. Sixty-five devoted sailors partici- 
pated in the engagement of May ist in Manila Bay, whose terms of ser- 
vice had previously expired, continuing on duty quite a year after that 
action. For these men of the army and navy we have only honor and 
gratitude. 

" The world will never know the restraint of our soldiers, their self-con- 
trol under the most exasperating conditions. For weeks subject to the insults 
and duplicity of the insurgent leaders, they preserved the status quo, remem- 
bering that they were under an order from their government to strictly observe 
the terms of the protocol in letter and spirit, and avoid all conflict except in 
defense pending the negotiations of the treaty of peace. 

*' They were not the aggressors. They did not begin hostilities against 
the insurgents pending the ratification of the treaty of peace in the Senate, 
great as was their justification, because their orders from Washington for- 
bade it. Until the treaty was ratified we had no authority beyond Manila 
city, bay and harbor. We then had no other title to defend, no authority 
beyond that to maintain. Spain was still in possession of the remainder of 
the archipelago. Spain had sued for peace. The truce and treaty were 
not concluded. The first blow was struck by the insurgents. 

Bullets in Return for Kindness. 

" Our kindness was reciprocated with cruelty, our mercy with a Mauser. 
The flag of truce was invoked only to be dishonored. Our soldiers were shot 
down when ministering to the wounded Filipinos. Our humanity was inter- 
preted as weakness, our forbearance as cowardice. They assailed our sover- 
eignty, and there will be no useless parley — no pause until the insurrection is 
suppressed and American authority acknowledged and established. 

" Every one of the noble men, regulars or volunteers, soldiers or seamen, 
who thus signally served their country in its extremity deserves the special 
recognition of Congress, and it will be to me an unfeigned pleasure to recom- 
mend for each of them a special medal of honor. 

"' The government to which you gave your loyalty welcomes you to your 
homes. With no blot or stain upon your record, the story of your unselfish 
services to country and to civilization will be to the men who take your 
places at the front and on the firing line, and to future generations an example 
of patriotism and a^ inspiration to duty." 



VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS. 617 

Active military operations in the Philippines were almost entirely halted 
by the wet season, but an occasional brush with the enemy served to keep 
our troops on the alert and in fighting mood. The United States cruiser 
Charleston, the monitor Monterey and the gunboats Concord and Z.tfiro, with 
marines and bluejackets from the cruiser Baltimore, left Cavite on September 
1 8th, and proceeded to Subig Bay to destroy an insurgent cannon there. 
Owing to the bad weather the operation was postponed until the 23d, when 
the war ships bombarded the town of Olangapo and the intrenchments where 
the gun was situated. 

Men from the Charleston, Concord and Zafiro were then landed, under a 
heavy insurgent fire. They advanced to the cannon, which they destroyed 
by gun-cotton, and then returned to the war ships. The Americans had one 
man wounded during the engagement. 

The Monterey Nearly Hit. 

Details of the engagement show that while waiting in Subig Bay for 
better weather the Americans descried Filipino reinforcements moving toward 
Olangapo. At twenty minutes to seven o'clock on the 23d, the Monterey 
began the advance upon the town, which was about three miles east of the 
monitor's anchorage. The Charleston, Concord and Zafiro followed. 

The Monterey opened fire with her secondary and main batteries at 
twenty-five minutes past seven o'clock, the Charleston and Concord joining 
in the firing immediately. At twenty-two minutes to eight the insurgent 
cannon answered, the first shot passing close to the Monterey's smokestack. 

The American bombardment became general. At half-past nine o'clock 
the Monterey advmiced to a range of six hundred yards, using her main 
battery. Two hundred and fifty men were landed about eight hundred yards 
east of the cannon at eleven o'clock under a severe Mauser fire from the 
shore. The cannon was found to be a 6-inch Krupp gun that the insurgents 
had obtained from the Spaniards. Fifty pounds of gun-cotton were used in 
destroying it. 

The insurgents captured the United States gunboat Urdaneta in the 
Orani river, on the northwest side of Manila Bay, on September 25th, where 
she was patrolling. One officer and nine of her crew are missing. They 
have probably either been killed or taken prisoners. The United States gun- 
boat Petrel, sent to investigate the matter, returned and reported that the 
Urdaneta was beached opposite the town of Orani, on the Orani river. 

She was riddled with bullets and burned, and the following guns, with 
their ammunition, were captured: a one-pounder, one Colt automatic gun, 
and one Nordenfcldt 25-millimetre gun. 




CHAPTER XXXII. 

Reminiscences and Anecdotes of Admiral Dewey. 

S the time approached for the Admiral to set his foot again upon 
his native soil our whole country was stirred with welcoming 
enthusiasm. There was a tremor in the air which signified that a 
hero was coming. Preparations on the broadest scale were made 
to give him a reception that would express American admiration for his 
sterling character and grand achievements. 

As stated in a preceding chapter the Pacific coast and the cities through- 
out the West eagerly sought to obtain his acceptance of their invitations. 
The people everywhere were eager to welcome Dewey. It was plain that his 
coming would be nothing less than an unprecedented triumph, and in 
triumphal processions would he be honored beyond almost any other chieftain 
or commander of modern times. 

Great Enthusiasm Over his Return. 

When it was definitely decided that he would land in New York and be 
the guest of the metropolis, the welcome to be extended to him was the one 
thing that occupied the public mind and expectation. The whole city was 
aroused, and this feeling of admiration, this disposition to honor the renowned 
commander was not confined to New York, but extended throughout the 
entire country. Our nation has always honored its navy, and it is but truth 
to say that scarcely any nation has had greater occasion or opportunity to 
magnify the exploits of its gallant tars than has our own. 

While the public mind v/as so occupied with the welcome to Admiral 
Dewey, it is but natural to suppose everything connected with his life and 
character would awaken great interest among all classes of our people. The 
story of his early life was told over and over again. His courage displayed 
during the Civil War, was rehearsed, and the fact that only two years before 
he was almost unknown, while in so short a space of time his fame had 
grown to be world wide, was commented upon, and unbounded admiration 
was expressed for the courage, the tact and patriotism by which he had gained 
such great distinction. 

In the early part of this volume we have narrated the story of Admiral 
Dewey's life, but new facts and incidents have been constantly coming to 
()18 



REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL I)E\VP:Y. 519 

light, and these we take pleasure in. inserting here, in order that the history of 
the man and his illustrious dceda may be complete. 

With the world ringing with the praise of the hero of the Philippines, it 
is pleasant to revert to the irOcial side of Admiral Dewey and reaill the scenes 
and incidents which mark the fighter as a thorough man alike in peace and in 
war. It was in the low gabled home of the Deweys, at Montpelier, Vt., that 
the young man destined to hold such an important place in national history 
received the instruction of his father, Dr. Julius Y. Dewey, who, born in 
l8oi, was himself brought up in ihe strictest precepts of moral government 
by his father, Simeon Dewey, th^. grandfather of the Admiral, who was born 
in Hanover, N. H., in 1769, and moved to Monpclier later in the century. 

Throughout his career a-j a cadet George Dewey, the man, was admired 
and respected. He only Mvaited a grand oportunity to prove himself. He 
did not think that he woi;ld be waiting thirty-seven years for the chance, but 
when it came it found him as ripe and ready as on the hour he met the beauti- 
ful Miss Susie Goodwin, the daughter of Governor Goodwin, of his native 
State, and longed to prove his prowess for her hand. There were many 
suitors for Miss Goodwin's hand, many of them naval officers of superior rank. 
After months of persistency, however, the young officer won the right to be 
regarded as the favored one. 

Came Out Ahead of All Rivals. 

The courtship was idyllic, and the very opposition to the young officer 
was thoroughly enjoyed by the man, who loved opposition rather than shrank 
from its problems. The old residents of Portsmouth remember with what 
persistent assiduity the suitor pursued his cause for the hand of the Gover- 
nor's beautiful daughter. Against him in the conquest there were no less 
personages than commodores and foreign nobles, statesmen and men of 
wealth ; but, fearless and gentle through all, with admirable coolness and 
patience in love as afterward in war, the young officer pressed his suit. 

His most formidable rival was probably Commodore Rhind, of the Nar- 
ragansett, then preparing in Portsmouth harbor for a long cruise. The Com- 
modore had long been enamored of the charms of the Governor's lovely 
daughter, and laid siege to the tender heart with unabating zeal. When the 
under officer. Commander Dewey, appeared on the field, there was consterna- 
tion in naval circles, for it was always thought a foregone conclusion that the 
Commodore had everything his own way. 

Commander Dewey was at that time the typical beau of the naval corps, 
dressing with exceeding grace and care, incurring the envy of the men and 
meriting the admiration of the women, as well as gaining the sobriquet 



b'AO REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY. 

" Dandy Dewey." "Nevertheless," said the venerable Governor, "there is 
something about George Dewey that I love and respect, and if he has the 
opportunity he will make his impression upon naval history." The words 
were almost prophetic of after years. It was plain in the maiden's eyes that 
the younger and under officer was preferred to the older one and his superior 
officer, Commodore Rhind, and, like a dutiful daughter, if not like a romantic 
maiden in the full flush of youthful enthusiasm, she displayed a slight leaning 
in favor of " Dandy Dewey." 

The vantage was quickly recognized and seized upon by the naval strate- 
gist. Early in the year 1867 Lieutenant Commander George Dewey was 
accepted, and the other competitors retired from the field. Great was the 
victory of the young officer. Greater to him than any subsequent one in the 
hero's career was the triumph over the maiden heart of the Governor's daugh- 
ter, followed by the wedding on October 24 of the same year. There were 
months of supreme bliss following this consummation, and then Dewey was 
assigned to command the Colorado, the flagship of the European squadron. 

Long Period of Separation. 

Two years of separation from the wife of his heart now intervened^ 
When Commander Dewey returned he was assigned to his rival's vessel, the 
Narragansett, and remained with her till the fall of 1870. There was a pro- 
longed second honeymoon, as it were, at Newport during 1871 and 1872. 
Made commander of the Narragansett in the spring of the latter year, the 
officer spent the summer and autumn in the delightful companionship of his 
charming wife, and these were months long to be cherished in his memory in 
after years. Two days before Christmas of 1872 a son was born to the happy 
pair. He was named George Goodwin Dewey, the first after the boy's father, 
the second after the mother's father, stanch old Governor Ichabod Goodwin, 
of New Hampshire. 

Five days later the bitterest blow that ever befell the man whose career 
had been marked heretofore with constant triumphs came upon Commander 
Dewey. The wife of his heart, Susan Goodwin Dewey, passed away in his arms 
after days of bitter suffering so bravely borne. From this shock and reversal 
of fortune the Commander never fully recovered. It was months before he 
could realize his loss, and even to this day he does not allow that sacred name 
to be spoken in his presence save by those few very near and dear to him. 

The man who could go through shot and shell without flinching now 
succumbed to deadly melancholy, which affected his extraordinary health and 
strength. The tenderness of his heart and the sterling faithfulness of his na- 
ture were exemplified in the man's heart-rending sorrow and his prolonged 



REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY. 521 

period of mourning. The little son was taken to Portsmouth and learcd by 
the parents of the mother, was graduated from Princeton College, and prepared 
for a promising place in business life. The Commander himself took one 
or two long voyages, but in 1876 asked and obtained shore duty as secretary 
of the Lighthouse Board. 

But, seaman by nature, the landlubber's life was not to his liking. In 
the summer of 1881 the Commander was assigned to the Juniata, of the Asiatic 
squadron. It was a most propitious move, and seemed to have in it the vis- 
ible hand of a beneficent Providence. From that time the Commander never 
again forsook the sea for shore duty for more than a passing period, and, later, 
when Commander of the Pensacola, of the European squadron, executed some 
difficult orders of the Navy Department requiring the nicest diplomacy and 
the most sterling sense of honor. 

In the year 1884, suffering from an affection of the liver, he underwent 
a serious operation at the hands of Italian doctors at Malta, and only a giant's 
reserve of strength and determination to win the battle with death led him 
through that dangerous period. On sick leave for a year following, the Com- 
mander went to California, where he fully recovered his health. His ne.xt 
command was the Dolphin, and he was later chief of the Equipment Bureau, 
with the rank of Commodore. In 1893 he resumed temporary duty on the 
Lighthouse Board, and in 1896 took command of the Asiatic squadron. In 
this capacity he distinguished himself in a manner that makes his name im- 
mortal, and acquired for him the rank of Admiral and the merited plaudits of 
the whole civilized world. 

Believes in Strict Discipline. 

Personally and socially Admiral George Dewey has always appeared to 
be a stern disciplinarian and a man of great personal pride, dominated, how- 
ever, by sterling good sense. There is an incident of his boyhood career 
which illustrates his insistence upon the rigorous military rule, and may have 
had much to do with his management of men aboard ship. Young George 
Dewey, as a schoolboy, headed a conspiracy to defy the authority of the mas- 
ter of the school at Montpelier, D(Miiinie Pangborn. When mutiny was rife 
the leader, young George, was seized and cowhided in a most severe manner 
by his teacher, and then marched home to the office of his father. Dr. Dewey, 
where, alas ! he found no sympathy in his rebellion. Indeed, the Doctor 
threatened to repeat the thrashing if any more evidences of insubordination 
came to his ears, and the young fighter relinquished the conspiracy. 

Afterward he became a bosom friend of his tutor, and to this day, though 
it is said that he bears the scars of that whipping, he holds the man who wielded 



522 REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY. 

the lash in somewhat grateful remembrance. It was this just punishment for 
mutiny that undoubtedly made the Admiral so stern a disciplinarian during 
duty hours on shipboard, and yet his own early love of mischief and his gen- 
erosity of heart condoned many a trivial breach of naval etiquette. 

Montpelier has not often seen the Admiral, nor has Portsmouth, the 
scenes of his courtship and marriage. It seemed that these localities brought 
home to his heart too many memories of the past that inspired sadness rather 
than joy. These towns, however, as well as the whole State of New Hamp- 
shire, hold their hero in grateful regard, and every anecdote of the black-eyed 
boy is related with pride by the elders, and listened to with interest by old 
and young alike. 

The fighting characteristics in the Admiral are rightly inherited. The 
Deweys are a fighting clan. Excellent marksmanship and skilled use of the 
broadsword have marked the Deweys from Revolutionary days. Since 
Thomas Dewey, who was born in Kent County, England, came over in 1663 
to settle in Windsor, Conn., and began to fight the Indians, down to the pres- 
ent day, there have been Deweys in every American war. Jeremiah Dewey, 
born in Windsor in 1704, served in the Continental army throughout the 
Revolution, and then moved to New Hampshire. Jeremiah Dewey, Jr., born 
in 1733, also served in the patriots' ranks against the British. Simeon 
Dewey, born in 1769, was for a short time in the war of 18 12. 

A Family of Patriots. 

In the late Civil War, the Admiral's elder brother, Edward, served with 
honors, attaining the rank of captain, and in the late war with Spain one of 
his brothers sent two sons to the front in defence of their country. In the 
War of 18 1 2, there were no less than a round dozen of the fighting Dewey 
clan. In that of the Revolution there were twice that number. From Ver- 
mont alone in the Civil War there were recruited twenty-five Deweys, Massa- 
chusetts also sending six, commanded by a Dewey blood relation, while from 
the West there were no less than seventy of the Dewey strain that fought for 
the preservation of the Union. With such fighting stamina to sustain him in' 
time of emergency it is not wonderful that the Admiral became the man of 
the hour when the first gun sounded over Manila, and the map of the world 
became changed. 

Dewey family characteristics appear in the most distant relations. They 
are of broad, heavy build, not over tall, active and firmly knit of figure, and 
the nose is a prominent feature. A fine, wide brow, and calm, piercing eyes 
that look and judge with the intuition of a savage chief, coupled with the 
acumen of one of superior mind, suggest a race of heroes. The genealogy of 



REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY. 523 

the family embraces twenty or more thousand names, with representatives in 
every State of the Union, in far South Africa and Austraha, in Asia and 
Europe. 

From another account of Admiral Dewey's life we glean some particu- 
lars of interest, which, although briefly referred to in preceding chapters, are 
here stated more fully. 

Cadet George Dewey received his commission as lieutenant on April 19, 
1861, just a few days after the bombardment of Fort Sumter, He was as- 
signed at once to the steam sloop Mississippi, a clumsy side-wheeler of the 
old-fashioned sort, which was destined to play a glorious part in the fierce 
fighting of the West Gulf squadron, under Farragut. With Farragut's 
other vessels, she assisted in forcing an entrance to the Mississippi River and 
in running the gauntlet of fire from the forts below New Orleans and the Con- 
federate fleet defending that port. After the capture of New Orleans she took 
part in the daring attempt by Admiral Farragut to run past the formidable 
batteries of Port Hudson, and was sunk and abandoned. 

Great Bravery and Rapid Promotion, 

Dewey's bravery in these engagements was so conspicuous that before the 
end of the war, on March 3, 1865, he received his commission as lieutenant 
commander, or, in other words, achieved in seven years after graduation a 
rank that now requires nearly seventeen years. 

During the battle of New Orleans he was executive officer of his ship, a 
great responsibility for so young a man. Captain Melancthon Smith was in 
command. Just before dawn, as the end of the engagement appeared to be 
at hand, the Confederate ram Manassas came down the river at full speed to 
attack the Union fleet. She struck the great frigate Manassas twice, but with 
only slight damage, and after a terrific exchange of cannon balls, drifted away 
in the darkness to seek new adversaries. In the gray of early dawn she bore 
down upon the Mississippi. Chief Engineer Baird, an eye-witness of what 
followed, has given a vivid description of Dewey's bearing in this emer- 
gency : — 

" Dewey like a flash saw what was best to be done, and as he put his 
knowledge into words the head of the Mississippi fell off, and as the ram came 
up alongside the entire starboard broadside plunged a mass of iron shot and 
shell through her armor, and she began to sink. Her crew ran her ashore and 
escaped. A boat's crew from our ship went on board, thinking to extinguish 
the flames which our broadside had started and also to capture her. But she 
was too far gone. Dewey took us all through the fight, and in a manner 
which won the highest praise, not only of all on board, but of Farragut him- 



524 REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY. 

self. He was cool from first to last, and after we had passed the fort and 
reached safety and he came back from the bridge, his face was black with 
smoke, but there wasn't a drop of perspiration on his brow. " 

It was the beginning of the end. With the loss of the Manassas the vic- 
tory was won. One after another the Confederate fleet had been destroyed. 
The Varuna was the only one of the Union's fleet that was sunk. Thirteen 
of Farragut's vessels rallied around his flag and the wrecks of the enemy. 
With these he reached New Orleans on April 26, 1862. The fall of that city 
followed in due course. 

The Mississippi was lost, as already stated, in the attempt to run the 
batteries at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, further up the river. Farragut's 
purpose was simply to pass the bluff batteries in order to blockade the river 
above the bend. 

It was ten o'clock at night, March 14, 1863, that the signal to advance 
was given. Directly opposite the centre of the Port Hudson battery the 
Mississippi stuck hard and fast. In thirty minutes she was struck two hun- 
dred and fifty times. Her crew climbed into boats on the side opposite the 
forts. The task of getting the men to safety through a withering rifle fire 
devolved upon Lieutenant Dewey. Twice he made the journey to the Rich- 
mond and back, until at last he and Captain Smith stood alone on the deck. 

" Are you sure she will burn, Dewey ? " the Captain asked, wistfully, as 
he passed the gangway. 

Dewey risked his life to go to the wardroom for a last look. He reported 
that there was no hope of saving the vessel. Then the two men together left 
the deck wi*;h the shot splashing all around them. 

Praise from his Superior Officer. 

A marine who was on the Mississippi relates that Lieutenant Dewey was 
too unselfish to think only of himselfwhenany of his comrades were in danger. 
Not far from him he espied a seaman who was trying to keep afloat, his right 
arm being paralyzed by a bullet. Dewey, who was a bold, powerful swimmer, 
struck out for him and held him up until they reached a floating spar, when 
the wounded marine was safely towed ashore. 

In his report of the disaster to Washington, Captain Smith wound up by 
saying : — " I consider that I should be neglecting a most important duty 
should I omit to mention the coolness of my executive officer, Mr. Dewey, 
and the steady, fearless and gallant manner in which the officers and men of 
the Mississippi defended her and the orderly and quiet manner in which she 
was abandoned after being thirty-five minutes aground under the fire of the 
enemy's batteries. " 



REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY. 52o 

John L. Veimard, commander of the auxihary gunboat Brown, at Ports- 
mouth Harbor, was ensign on board the Colorado when George Dewey was 
Heutenant commander. " Admiral Dewey was passionate, just and perfect in 
discipline, " he said. "For the man who was seen drunk he had only con- 
tempt, and if a sailor of his vessel, dealt severely with him. Many are the 
offences which he looked lightly upon, but drunkenness seemed quite unfor- 
givable. This, coupled with his personal courage at all times, marked him 
always as a superior man. A manifestation of this latter quality I remember 
during a terrific storm off Biscay, the most dangerous point on the European 
coast, when we were on a lee shore, moving at our utmost speed, barely eight 
knots an hour. 

'' At the climax of the storm the Admiral relieved Commander Dewey on 
the bridge; but instead of going below, when the order was given to set sail 
to help us into deep water, Dewey sprang up the ladder and began assisting 
in the perilous and difficult task of unfurling sail. In a short time the coast 
was left behind, with its foam-covered breakers, and we were safe at sea. The 
remembrance of that event will stay with me forever, for it was the act of an 
officer who was not only capable, but willing to do common sailor duty, and 
do it equally with the best, in time of peril and emergency. " 

Of generosity there arc scores of instances in the life of the famous Ad- 
miral. On one Christmas morning the vessel which Dewey commanded was 
lying in the Bay of Genoa. There was a shore " liberty party " going from 
the ship numbering about two hundred men. There were also about two 
score in quarantine. When the liberty party left, a great gloom fell upon 
those who remained, and the Admiral, walking the bridge, observed it. 
Finally he could endure the sight of the long faces no more. Sternly he 
ordered the men out of his sight below. Crestfallen they went, but the order 
soon came after, " Jump into your mustering clothes and get to shore, but be 
careful you do not disgrace the ship. " The men were overjoyed at the 
second order, and on leaving the man-of-war gave a rousing cheer. When 
they returned not a man but was reported " clean and sober, " and the honor 
of the ship was preserved. It was a gala Christmas for the tars so far from 

home. 

An Instance of Self-Control. 

When Admiral Dewey, then a commander by rank, was secretary of the 
Lighthouse Board a painful accident occurred which strikingly illustrated his 
self-command. Commander Dewey had made a report regarding one of the 
younger officers of the service which stood in the way of that officer's pro- 
motion. It should be understood that when a naval officer advances from 
one rank to another he is subjected to a rigorous inquest to develop his fit- 



526 • REMINISCENCES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY. 

ness, physically, morally and professionally, for promotion. This was the 
case with the officer mentioned. 

Dewey had made the report, in the line of his duty as the commander of 
one of the ships, which reflected upon this man in such a way that the board 
of examining officers would not pass him. Upon being apprised of this state 
y of affairs the candidate for promotion became greatly incensed. He united 
with strong drink a temper already aroused to the danger line and proceeded 
to hunt Dewey up. He found him at the Lighthouse Board, in the Treasury, 
and demanded that Dewey should withdraw the damaging letter. Dewey 
said, with much composure, that he would not think for an instant of with- 
drawing it, and added that it should have been by rights more severe than he 
made it. Thereupon the angered officer leaned over the desk, shook his fist 
in Dewey's face and launched into a startling tirade of blasphemy and vul- 
garity. Dewey never as much as lifted an eye. He listened calmly, and 
when the excited man had expended a share of his violence he remarked : 

" I have no further conversation with you, sir; no further business. 
There is the door, sir ! You are not welcome." 

Personal Characteristics. 

Admiral Dewey is quiet and composed in manner. He does not speak 
much, and that little is rarely devoted to himself. He has apparently no 
vanity, but on the other hand he has no mock modesty, none of that pride 
which apes humility, the " darling sin " which makes the devil grin. He has 
the dignity and, when necessary, the self-assertion which comes from the 
consciousness of power. He is deeply devotional, but he makes no parade 
of his religion. He carries his Bible and his prayerbook with him, but they 
are always hidden in the recesses of his cabin. He is notably deferential and 
courteous to women, with whom he has always been a favorite. From his 
father he inherits an abiding love for children. 

He is scrupulously neat in his dress, so much so that when, at Roose- 
velt's advice, he was appointed to take command of the Asiatic squadron, one 
of the members of the Naval Council is said to have protested 

" Dewey ! Why, Dewey is a dude !" 

" What of that ?" asked Roosevelt. 

" Why, you are the last man I should expect to want to advance a dude." 

" I didn't want to advance him," said Mr. Roosevelt ; " I'll leave that to 
you afterward. All I want is a man over there, some fellow who will fight 
and make war. I don't care what kind of a collar he wears • that is, so long 
as it is some kind of a linen collar." 



i 




CHAPTER XXXIII. 
Our Country's Magnificent Welcome to the Hero of Manila 

|N his homeward voyage from Manila Bay, the scene of his mem- 
orable victory, Admiral Dewey stopped at a number of ports, 
and was ever>'where received with marked honor. This was u 
tribute not merely to the man himself, but to the country which 
he represented, and the navy of which he was the chief. It was supposed 
that he would arrive in New York harbor September 28th, but a smile 
passed over the face of the public, and the remark was made, " Dewey is 
always ahead of time," as his flagship, the Olympia, appeared off Sandy Hook 
on Tuesday, September 26th. 

This somewhat disconcerted the arrangements made by New York 
officials for his reception, but the reception committee immediately went 
on [board to convey the greetings of the metropolis and the American 
people, and on Thursday, according to previous arrangements, Governor 
Roosevelt boarded the flagship to welcome Dewey in the name of the Empire 
State. 

Olympia's Guns Salute Distinguished Guests. 

The third day of Admiral Dewey's presence in the harbor was as terrific- 
ally noisy as the first and second. There was hardly a half hour that the 
guns of the squadron were not banging salutes to State oflficials, to army 
officials or to navy officials who paid official visits. A dozen times the salut- 
ing guns of the Olympia thundered in honor of the distinguished men who 
came to visit Admiral Dewey. 

It was announced that when the steamer took her place at the head of 
the naval division in the forthcoming parade she would fly at her mainmast 
the flag that Admiral Farragut flew when he led his fleet to attack the fortifi- 
cations at New Orleans. The flag had on it then but two stars. Two more 
were added to it when Farragut was made a full Admiral. 
J Until eleven o'clock on the 28th all outsiders were kept off the flagship. 

During that time the ship was cleaned up and the ceremony of distributing 
the medals Congress voted to the officers and men of the ships that took part 
in the battle at Manila Bay was gone through with. These medals are of 
bronze. On one side is a medallion bust of Admiral Dewey and the legend. 
" Gift of the people of the United States to the officers and men of the Asiatic 
squadron, under command of Commodore Dewey." 

6S7 



5^8 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

On the reverse side is displayed a figure of a seaman, stripped and astride 
a big gun. This side bears the legend, " In memory of the victory of Manila 
Bay, May i, 1898." 

The men were as proud of their medals as they were of their ship, and 
they pinned them to their breasts and strutted around commenting on the 
honor that it was to wear them, and giving to the Admiral himself all the 1 
credit for the opportunity they had to earn them. 

Admiral Dewey's formal welcome home began on Friday, September 
29th, with a thunderous burst of patriotic fervor that would have thrown any 
man less evenly balanced completely off his mental base. W^aiting at the 
threshold of the metropolis, just before the unparalleled greeting to him, he 
told the Mayor, with that modesty which is characteristic of the man, that his 
countrymen had overrated his work, for he had only done what any other 
captain in the service would have done. 

Thus two estimates of Dewey's work came on the same day, and the one 
followed the other almost as quickly as the discharges of a rapid-fire gun. The 
Admiral just before noon, standing on the quarter deck of the Olympia, said : 

" I did nothing worthy of all this which you have prepared for me." 

Immense Outpouring of the People. 

The American nation an hour later, through two millions of its repre- 
sentatives — or it may have been three millions — afloat and ashore, alow and 
aloft, crowding every imagmable sort of craft, packing every wharf, every dock, 
every house-top, every slope on every hill-side from Bay Ridge and Tompkins- 
ville to Riverside and Fort Lee, proclaimed that he was mistaken. 

So Dewey, the conqueror in war, became the conqueror in peace. He 
conquered the hearts of the nation. Few living men have seen anything 
approaching in magnitude and enthusiasm the tribute that was laid at the 
feet of Dewey. The laying of that tribute made history, and it was recalled 
that this celebration of the destruction of Spain's naval force in the Pacific 
came on the anniversary of the wiping out of the Great Spanish Armada on 
the coast of Great Britain 3 1 1 years before. It was also recalled that, with 
the exception of the return of the victorious Santiago fleet, the last great naval 
demonstration in this harbor — in 1893 — was in honor of Spain and a Spanish 
squadron, and was to celebrate the discovery of America by Spain's Admiral, 
Christopher Columbus. 

For a marine show there could not have been finer weather. The day 
dawned bright and a brisk breeze blew all day long. Clouds scurried over 
the sky, and one of these brought a slight shower, just after the parade 
started, and as Dewey's flagship swept up past the Battery a brilliant rainbow 



MAGNIFICICNT WKLCOMK TO DKWKY. 529 

spanned the North River from shore to shore. Thousands saw the refulgent 
spectacle in the sky, declared it was " Dewey luck," and rejoiced that the 
Admiral was sailing to the great review literally beneath a rainbow of promise 

Tugging on a flood tide at their anchor chains, as though eager to be 
free, the great war ships that were to compose Dewey's triumphal pageant 
were ready early in the day. From stem to stern, from water line to top- 
mast, every one glistened in the morning sun. While perhaps 1 50,000 persons 
were embarking at the different docks, the Mayor and his party went down 
the bay on the Sandy Hook to give the Admiral his official welcome. The 
Mayor called on the Admiral, strictly observing naval etiquette. The 
Admiral returned the call of the Mayor and met most of the city's guests 
aboard the Sandy Hook. 

The whole expanse of the upper bay was filled by high noon with excur- 
sion boats big and little, yachts of every size and description, tugs, barges, 
ferryboats, and indeed craft of every kind that could float or go by steam. 
They all gathered as close to the flagship as possible, and just at the stroke 
of twelve shrieking bedlam broke loose. It had been agreed that every 
vessel that had a whistle should blow its loudest for five minutes. Such a 
noise has never been heard before in the harbor of New York. It shook the 
hills and rolled far inland. When this subsided all the sailors went to dinner, 
and quiet reigned in the fleet. 

Hundreds of Vessels in Line. 

After that there was great scurrying of the yachts and excursion steamers 
to get into line in their respective divisions. This was difficult, because 
the number of vessels that had brought people out to see the Admiral was 
probably double that of the number that participated in the marine pageant 
during the centennial celebration of the inauguration of Washington in 
1889, and that display had until the present time broken the record. 

They were shoved and ordered into line much as a drill sergeant bosses 
raw recruits, and finally Lieutenant Commander John C. F'remont, who had 
charge of the arrangements, got things to the satisfaction of himself and 
Chief Dewey. 

Thus an hour passed. Then the marines were seen to line up on the 
quarter decks of all the war ships. Sailors ran nimbly about. Signals 
flashed up and down the fleet. The speed balls went up. Admiral Dewey 
took his position on the bridge of the Olympia. The police Patrol, which 
was to lead the way, started ahead, with the fireboats New York and Van 
Wyck on either flank. Then the Olympia began slowly to move, followed by 
the cruiser New York, also slowly, and anchors were tripped from end to end 

34— D 



530 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

of the fleet. The Sandy Hook stood alongside the Olympia, escorting her 
up the river. 

The fleet was underway. It was an inspiring sight. The Olympia, flying 
the Admiral's flag, led, and those mighty floating fortresses, the New York, 
the Indiana, the Massachusetts, the Brooklyn, and the Texas, followed in 
single file. Then the training ship Lancaster, the Dolphin and the Scorpion 
came along, and Admiral Howison's flagship, the Chicago, brought up the 
rear of the naval vessels. 

This part of the parade was really a naval pageant of the war with Spain. 
First, the Olympia, with her glorious record at Manila. Then the New York, 
the flagship of Rear Admiral Sampson in Cuban and Porto Rican waters. 
She had figured in a dozen bombardments and was in at the death when the 
Cristobal Colon surrendered. The Indiana played a conspicuous part in the 
destruction of Cervera's fleet. The Massachusetts was on the Santiago 
blockade, and was the flagship of Captain (now Rear Admiral) Higginson at 
Porto Rico. The Texas won honors at Santiago and Guantanamo. The 
Brooklyn was Admiral Schley's flagship at the battle of Santiago. The 
Dolphin was on blockading duty. The Scorpion fought as viciously as the 
insect whose name she bears. 

Grand Array of Torpedo Boats. 

Of the torpedo boats, the Dupont, the Porter and the Winslow all figured 
in the war. The Winslow, under Lieutenant Bernadou, was all shot to pieces 
by masked batteries at Cardenas and five of her crew were killed. The 
Porter, under Lieutenant Commander Fremont, went to Porto Rico with 
Sampson, where she narrowly escaped destruction by a Spanish battery while 
waiting at the mouth of the harbor to torpedo Spanish ships. Then, in the 
revenue division, was the cutter Manning, that, transformed into a cruiser, 
bombarded Cardenas in reprisal for the damage to the Winslow. Indeed, one 
could not look anywhere up and down the line of stately ships without hav- 
ing memories of the conflict with Spain awakened by some one of them. 

Naval officers who figured in the war were present, though for the most 
part as spectators. Admiral Sampson and Captain Chadwick, of the New 
York, are the only commanding officers in the North Atlantic squadron who 
hold the same positions that they held in 1898. But many were afloat yes- 
terday as sightseers who had di«;tinguished themselves. There were Dewey's 
captains, Wildes, Wood, Dyer, Coghlan and Walker, and also Captain Hodg- 
son, of the revenue service. There were Rear Admiral Philip, who had com- 
manded the Texas as captain, Rear Admiral Higginson, who had commanded 
the Massachusetts, also as captain, and Rear Admiral Schiey, who was second 
in command in the naval campaign on the south side of Cuba. 



MAGNIFICENT VVKLCOME TO DKWKY. 531 

Past Governor's Island swept the Olympia and the admiral's salute rang 
out seventeen ^uns in quick succession. The Olympia ansvved with the salute 
for a major general, and then stood close in shore on the New York side. 

If Admiral Dewey had been surprised by his welcome afloat he must 
have been astounded at that which was sent to him from ashore. No one can 
adequately describe the crowds that flocked to the water's edge or gained 
points of vantage on the roofs of sky-scrapers and in every available space 
from which the river was visible. The Battery was a solid mass of humanity. 
Three hundred policemen were kept busy preventing the crowd from push- 
ing those on the sea wall into the water. Men and boys climbed trees and 
waited patiently for hours. All the hills north of Iloboken were black with 
spectators. Riverside Park was simply a slope of human beings. If it seemed 
to the spectator that a city full of people had gone aboard of the craft in the 
harbor, then a country full of people had surely remained ashore and crowded 
the vast amphitheatre made up of the housetops and hillsides. 

It was probably to afford the greater crowd of land spectators as fair a 
view of him as possible that led the thoughtful admiral to carry his flagship 
well in toward the New York docks. He ran so near at times that a biscuit 
might have been tossed from pierhead to quarterdeck, and everybody shouted 
wildly as the Olympia swept by on her stately way. 

National Salute in Honor of Grant. 

Receiving the salute from the Portsmouth, of the New Jersey Naval 
Reserve, anchored off Fifty-ninth street, the Olympia continued on past the 
floats Peace and Victory, and with gradually lessening speed rounded the 
nautical schoolship St. Mary's, the stake boat. Around she went, and those 
overworked forward six-pounders of hers sounded the national .salute of 
twenty-one guns in honor of General Grant as the majestic tomb of the dead 
soldier loomed up on her port bow. 

The Olympia, still escorted by the Sandy Hook, dropped anchor just 
below the float " Victory' amid a deafening din of whistles, broken every few 
seconds by the roar of guns. Following her in the regular order came the 
vessels of the naval division, each one dropping anchor, so that when they all 
swung at their moorings they were in the same formation that they had 
occupied at Tonipkinsville. 

Then came the review of yachts and excursion boats. The whole river 
by this time was in a haze of smoke. Looming up through the hazy air was 
a wilderness of masts and smokestacks and fighting tops as far as the strongest 
glass could carry the vision. The }'achts, under command of Commodore 
J. Pierpont Morgan on the Corsair, with Sir Thomas Lipton's Erin at the 



532 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

post of honor, leading the other column, made a splendid showing. As they 
went by the Olympia the colors were dipped and the guests on board cheered 
while the admiral acknowledged the salutation by uncovering. 

Three generations of war ships were represented. There were the old 
sailing ships, the Portsmouth and the St. Mary's, whose names recall the 
early days of American seamanship. Next in chronological order comes the 
old steam frigate Lancaster, a vessel regarded as formidable not so many 
years ago, but now in the sere and yellow leaf of her existence, and relegated 
to the apprentice training service. Last and best were the ships of the new 
navy, the steel clad fleet whose guns made such a bloody reprisal for that 
tragedy in Havana harbor. 

Right grandly they all showed, and grand was the welcome they received. 
The tumult that arose when the Olympia tripped anchor and stood up stream, 
followed at faithfully kept intervals by battleships and cruisers, grew wilder 
as the imposing array neared the city. Around that fleet clung memories of 
many valiant deeds ; of Manila, Santiago, Cardenas; and as it came sweeping 

up the bay Liberty, 

Grave mother of majestic works, 
From her isle aUar looking down, 

seemed to lift her torch still higher in honor of the brave array — the ships 

and the gallant sailors who man them, the immortal admiral and his devoted 

followers. 

Formal Welcome by the Mayor. 

At the formal welcome to the Admiral, Mayor Van Wyck made the fol- 
lowing address : 

"Adiniral Dewey," he said, "with pleasure, and by the direction of the 
city of New York, I meet you at her magnificent gateway to extend to you 
in her name and of her million visitors, leading citizens of forty-five States, 
representing almost every hamlet in the nation, a most cordial welcome, con- 
gratulating you upon being restored to family and home. 

"A loving and grateful nation is gladdened by your safe return from the 
most remarkable voyage of history, so far reaching in its results that the 
clearest mind cannot yet penetrate the distance. It has already softened the 
voices of other nations in speaking of ours, changed permanently the map of 
the world, enlarged the field of American pride and completed the circle of 
empire in its western course. 

"Your courage, skill and wisdom, exhibited in a single naval engage- 
ment of a few hours, brought victory to your countr)/'s arms, and then you 
dealt with your country's new relations to the world with the judgment of a 
trained diplomat. By common consent you have been declared warrior and 



MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 533 

statesman — one who wears the military uniform until the enemy surrenders 
and tlien dons the habit of the diplomat. 

" The greatest reception awaits you that was ever tendered military or 
civil hero. Such an outpouring of the people was never dreamed of before. 
Never has the heart of America turned with such perfect accord and trusting 
confidence to one of her sons as it does toward you. I place at your disposal 
the freedom and unlimited hospitality of the city of New York." 

Admiral Dewey said, looking at the Mayor's stenographer: " You're not 
going to take down what I say, are you, Mr. Mayor? I never could make a 
speech." 

Mayor Van Wyck smiled, and Mr. Harvey went on making his notes. 

" Mr. Mayor and gentlemen," said the Admiral, "of course it would be 
needless for me to attempt to make a speech, but my heart appreciates all 
that you have said. How it is that you have overrated my work I cannot 
understand. 

" It is beyond anything I can conceive of why there should be such an 
uprising of the country. I simply did what any captain in the service would 
have done." 

" Admiral," said the Mayor, " no tongue can ever utter or pen write an 
over-estimate of what you did for your country." 

Delighted with the Badge. 

Admiral Dewey smiled, and his cheeks flushed with proud color under 
the bronzed skin. He shook the hand of the Mayor, who then reached into 
a pocket and drew out a medal of honor which the city voted to the hero of 
the war with Spain, saying: 

" The city of New York had made, to commemorate this reception to 
you, the hero of the Spanish-American War, a badge, a fac simile of which 
they desire I .should present to you in commemoration of the event." 

" How magnificent !" exclaimed the Admiral, taking the medal ; " how 
beautiful! It's splendid." 

Then he called for his Chinese servant and passed to him the medal. 
" Pin it on, sir," he said to the Chinese ; " pin it on so it won't drop off"" 

At night, after the naval parade, all of Greater New York was literally 
a blaze of pyrotechnics. Bursting bombs threw spangles of fire, and hissing 
rockets made fiery serpents in the air in all the five boroughs. The fleet of 
war ships remained at anchor off Grant's Tomb, and they were brilliantly 
illuminated, each ship formmg a silhouette of fire against the sky. Such a 
gorgeous night pageant had never been attempted, and it was a success. 

The fireworks afloat off Grant's Tomb and Ward's Island, the display 



534 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

finally commingling in a grand climax off the Battery, w-'-ile all the islands 
in the bay blazed with scenic splendors, was a gorgeous close to the first 
stage in New York's welcome to Admiral Dewey. 

At night the city was given over to merry-making. Fashionable throngs 
filled the principal restaurants, drinking standing toasts, with clinking glasses, 
while bands and orchestras played inspiring martial airs. At the theatres all^ 
patriotic or timely " lines " interpolated for the occasion were received with 
tremendous applause. Fifth Avenue, at Madison Square, was a seething 
mass of light-hearted people, with the usual accompaniment of roystering 
youngsters and jostling students. 

Great as was the naval welcome in honor of the renowned Admiral, the 
parade through the streets of Nev/ York on September 30th was a more 
imposing demonstration, although it could not have exceeded the enthusiasm 
shown on the previous day. 

An Ovation without Parallel. 

From the moment when, at half-past eight in the morning, the Admiral 
stepped from the police boat Patrol, which brought him from the Olympia to 
the Battery, until at six in the evening, when he stepped from his carriage 
into the Waldorf-Astoria, he received a continuous popular ovation such as 
has fallen to the lot of few other men in the history of the world. General 
Miles, in fact, ranked the spectacle with the memorable demonstration at 
the time of Queen Victoria's Jubilee. In some points of interest, indeed, it 
outranked that wonderful celebration. 

We have said that Dewey received an ovation. It was really a triumph. 
For the Romans, from whom v/e get both words, and most of our ideas, made 
a distinction between a triumph and an ovation. The former was given to a 
General who had achieved the highest success ; the latter to a General who 
was deserving of great honor, but fell short of overwhelming victory. 

The old Roman conqueror, with a wreath of laurel on his brow, entered 
Rome on his day of triumph through a gate or arch. Seated in a chariot 
drawn by four horses, preceded by his captives, and followed by his officers 
and soldiers, he passed through the city amid the plaudits of her inhabitants. 
So Admiral Dewey had his day of triumph. The old Roman custom was 
closely followed. The Admiral rode in a carriage drawn by four horses. 
There was no wreath on his brow, but sculj^tured figures of women with out- 
stretched arms held wreaths of laurel above his head as he moved down Fifth 
Avenue, the Via Sacra of New York. He was preceded by no captives, but 
was attended by his officers and men and followed by 25,000 soldiers from all 
parts of the country. 



MAGNIFICENT WELCOMF. TO DEWEY. 535 

Then, as in Rome, there was an arch of triumph. This, however, was 
not placed at the start of the procession, but near its finish. And, strange to 
say, its back was turned on the Admiral. Its face is towards the sea, as it 
should be; but the line of procession moved not from the Battery, as it siiould, 
l)ut from Grant's Tomb, so that the Admiral appreciated the beautiful arch 
erected in his honor from the rear. When the Arc de Triomphe de I'etoile 
in Paris was erected to celebrate the victories of Napoleon no one was per- 
mitted to pass through it until the Emperor himself had done so. 

As on the preceding day, the weather was almost perfect, and the city 
gave herself up entirely to the celebration. It was a day of rejoicing from 
early morning until late at night. The Admiral himself was up at five o'clock 
and personally inspected his men, to see that they were in proper trim for the 
great occasion. At seven the police boat Patrol approached, bearing the spe- 
cial committee of escort. An hour and a half later, and the Admiral landed at 
the Battery, where another committee and a crowd awaited him. Then he 
was driven to the City Hall, where he arrived, as usual, ahead of time. Here 
the Mayor, in the longest speech he ever made, but short for all that, pre- 
sented him, in the name of the city, with a loving cup of eighteen karats gold, 
thirteen inches high. The design is Romanesque — thus again the Roman 
type appeared. 

Children Sing Patriotic Songs. 

This ceremony was quickly over, and the Admiral was taken away before 
the 1800 children who had been selected to sing a welcome to the hero at this 
place appeared. The children were almost broken-hearted when they learned 
that the Admiral had left, but they sang their songs to the crowd that 
remained. 

From the City Hall the Admiral and the other guests of the city and 
members of the Committee of Reception were driven to the foot of Warren 
street, where they boarded the steamer Sandy Hook, which took them to the 
foot of One Hundred and Thirty- third street, where a landing was made. An 
elaborate lunch was served on the boat. At the pier there was another big 
crowd, which had been waiting for hours in order to see Dewey. Here car- 
riages were in waiting, in which the Admiral and the other distinguished 
guests rode to the reviewing stand at Madison Square. The carriages took 
their proper place in the line of march, and, wonderful to relate, the proces- 
sion started on time. 

Then began the most brilliant land parade ever seen on this continent. 
While it lacked the varied beauty and picturesqucness of the naval pageant of 
tlie day before, it was a spectacle of stupendous size and unequaled splendor. 



536 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

The spectacle was made up of the parade itself and the crowd that witnessed 
it and the streets through which it moved. The three elements of interest 
cannot be separated in any description of the event. 

There have been longer processions than this in New York, The Sound 
Money parade of 1896 was nearly four times as long. On other occasions 
the decorations have been as handsome. But the quality of this procession 
was unrivaled, and the decorations made the line of march a blaze of color, 
while the crowd was simply beyond computation. It is no exaggeration to 
say that never before were so many persons packed into the same amount of 
space. From Grant's Tomb to the Washington Arch, a distance of seven 
miles by the route of the parade, there was almost an unbroken procession of 
stands for spectators, and every one of these was filled to overflowing. 

People viewed the pageant from house tops. Every window was occu- 
pied, while on each cross street and along the sidewalks every inch of stand- 
ing room was at a premium. It was against the regulations for trucks and 
carriages to stand in the cross streets commanding a view of the procession, 
but they did so in spite of the police, and afforded good places for thousands 
to view the spectacle. After the parade fully a million boxes and barrels 
littered Fifth avenue. These had been sold by boys at 25 to 50 cents 
apiece, and a million persons had stood on them. There was not a single 
break in the crowd. Nowhere was there a sign of lagging interest. The 
crowd came hours before the procession started, and it stayed until the last 
man passed. 

Unbounded Enthusiasm for the Admiral. 

The crowd was not only immense in numbers, but immense in enthusi- 
asm. The people came with flags and badges, and they shouted themselves 
hoarse as Dewey and other popular favorites appeared. Nothing daunted 
their spirit, and even their good nature rose triumphant over the various 
efforts of the police to keep them back. On one house top in Fifth avenue 
several men were furnished with bombs, which they exploded when Dewey 
passed. From the roof of a Fifth avenue house a man sent up several 
kites high in the air. These kites were of various shapes. One spelled 
"Welcome" in colossal letters; another represented the American flag. 

From the Waldorf-Astoria down to the Dewey Arch the spectacle 
reached the very summit of its interest, for here started the colonnades, 
reaching to the arch, and making a part of its artistic whole. From the 
Waldorf-Astoria, where Dewey's family watched the parade, the scene fairly 
baffles any skill at description. At Forty-second street, where the huge 
reservoir, about to be removed, was covered with stands, there was another 
scene of striking interest. 



MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. ry.M 

At Central Park, west from Seventy-<=ccond street, was a stand on which 
2000 or 3000 school children were seated, dressed in garments that made a 
field of blue, on which Dewey's name in white appeared, a living sign, a 
moving picture, that so excited the Admiral that he stopped his carriage in 
order to enjoy it longer. The children sang as he waited. 

The Admiral and the official guests left the procession at the reviewing 
stand at the Worth Monument. Here, with the structure of stone erected in 
memory of the hero of the Mexican War behind him, with the statue of 
Farragut, under whom Dewey saw service in the Civil War, facing him, and 
with the splendid arch erected in his own honor on his right, the Admiral 
viewed the parade as it passed before him. 

What enthusiasm was not exhausted in the demonstration over Dewey 
was given to Rear Admiral Schle)- and Governor Roosevelt. The latter made 
a striking appearance on his horse at the head of the New York troops. 
Governor Stone also made a fine appearance at the head of the Pennsylvania 
regiments, and was warmly received. Of all the organizations in the parade 
the " Fighting Tenth " Pennsylvania, that did hard service in the Philippines, 
received the heartiest welcome. 

Governors and Troops from Many States, 

The line of parade extended from Grant's Tomb, at Claremont.down River- 
side Drive to Seventy-second street, through Seventy-second street to Central 
Park West, through Central Park West to Fifty ninth street, through F"ifty- 
ninth street to Fifth avenue, and down Fifth avenue to the south side of Wash- 
ington Square. 

The procession consisted of mounted police, commanded by Chief Devery ; 
sailors from the Olympia and the vessels of Admiral Sampson's fleet, a long 
line of carriages carrying Admiral Dewey and other gue.sts and their escorts, 
the West Point Cadets, several battalions of regular army, under command 
of Colonel John I. Rodgers ; the entire National Guard of New York, five 
regiments from Pennsylvania, and troops from New Jersey, Georgia, Connecti- 
cut, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, 
Mississippi, Maine, Florida and Texas, besides a number of unarmed old 
veterans. 

There were about 30,000 men in the line, including the eighty-six bands, 
.vhich alone counted over 3300 men. Sousa's great band, augmented for the 
occasion, headed the procession after the mounted police. There were 1700 
men in the naval brigade, nearly i.SoO in the regular army and cadet division, 
nearly lo.ooo in the New Y''ork division, 2300 in the Pennsylvania, and 7500 
in the troops from other States The Governors of most of the States rode at 
the head of their troops 



538 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

Another man who was made a hero of by the miUions of people witness- 
ing the parade was Rear Admiral Schley, who, riding in one of the last car- 
riages in the vehicle division, was almost as enthusiastically cheered as was 
Dewey. General Miles, too, was warmly applauded, while Governor Roose- 
velt received a perfect ovation all along the line. Outside of these individual 
attractions, the other leading features of the parade were Sousa's Band and 
the Tenth Regiment of Pennsylvania. The spectators almost went frantic 
over the Pennsylvania heroes, and the latter must have felt elated over their 
magnificent reception. 

Arriving finally at the reviewing stand in front of the mammoth arch at 
Madison Square, Dewey seemed bewildered at the demonstration which awaited 
him there. Here were erected huge stands holding over 25,000 people, and 
when they all broke out into a cheer it was like the roar of a burning volcano- 
Dewey and the Mayor quickly left their carriage and were followed in rapid 
succession by the other dignitaries, it taking some little time before all were 
unloaded. All the while the people were cheering, and one bouquet or floral 
piece after another was sent to the stand, until the Admiral was almost hidden 
from view behind flowers. 

A Scene of Wildest Excitement. 

Then the signal was given, bugles sounded all along the line, and then 
upon entering into the Court of Honor, Sousa's immense band of over 100 
pieces, leading the procession, thundered out its leade/'s own favorite compo- 
sition, " The Stars and Stripes," and the people shrieked so loud as to almost 
drown the music. Sousa walked behind a drum major to the right with a 
color bearer on either side, and as he came directly in front of the reviewing 
stand gave the Admiral a most dignified salute. Dewey smiled and lifted his 
chapeau, bowing several times. 

Dewey was saluting with his hand touching the point of his chapeau, 
only having bared his head twice up to the time Governor Roosevelt on a 
spanking bay at the head of the National Guard of New York, came along, 
once for Sousa and the other time when an American flag was carried by. 

The crowds announced Roosevelt's coming by tremendous cheering. 
When the Governor reached the stand, sitting very erect on his horse and 
with a stern look on his face, he raised his hat with his right hand, crossed his 
breast and held the silken tile there until he was far past. Dewey kept his 
head bared as long as Roosevelt had his hat off. 

The various Governors on horseback leading the militia of their respec- 
tive States all saluted by lifting their hats, and the Admiral responded like- 
wise. As the afternoon wore on the atmosphere became very chilly and 
Dewey covered his glittering uniform by putting on a shoulder cape. 



MAGNIFICENT WELCOMK TO DKWKY. 539 

The coming of the Pennsylvania troops was announced by wild cheering 
up the avenue, the demonstration being in honor of the brave boys of the now 
celebrated Tenth Regiment. Dcwey himself became nervous from impatience 
or enthusiasm as lie heard the applause, and was waiting for the Tenth to pass 
in review. When finally the Western Pennsylvania boys, dressed in the can- 
vas uniforms they wore while on duty in the Philippines, came along, Dew( y 
took off his chapeau and smilingly bowed again and again to each column as 
it filed by — something he had not done for any other troops. 

The people in the stands stood up on their chairs, frantically waved hand- 
kerchiefs and flags and shouted at the top of their voices. The boys of the 
Tenth bore their honors modestly and marched better and looked more like 
real soldiers than any regiment that passed in review. 

Brilliant Close of the Festivities. 

The bands heading the Southern troops nearly all played " My Mary- 
land " and " Dixie " as they passed the reviewing stand, much to the delight 
of the spectators, who cheered them every time. 

After the enthusiastic veterans, who brought up the rear, had passed 
through the arch, the review was declared closed. Several hundred blue 
coats immediately rushed in to keep the avenue clear and the clattering sound 
of horse's hoofs announced the coming of Squadron A to escort the Admiral 
to the Waldorf-Astoria. The carriages followed, and after Dewey had bowed 
with bared head to the people in the several stands and shaken hands with 
many pjople who pressed forward to be introduced, the line of carriages was 
formed and the procession to the hotel began. After dinner Dewey, who felt 
fatigued, declined all invitations for social functions in his honor and retired 
early in the evening, hapi:)y over the two days' festivities in his honor — the 
grandest in the world's history. 

The popular estimate of the Admiral and his men was aptly expressed 
by the following stanzas in one of our daily journals: 

Here's to Dewey of Manilla 

And every mother's son 
That walked the bridge or stoked the coal 

Or aimed or fired a gun. 

Here's to the ships that carried the flag, 
And here's to the men that planned 'em. 

Cheers for the engines that drove the fleet ; 
Hurrah for the lads that manned 'em. 



540 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

Here's to the gunners that aimed so true ; 

God bless the men that taught 'em. 
Here's to the men that smashed right through; 

Hurrah for the lads that fought 'em. 

Bitter the dregs of defeat for the dead, 
J But those DaL,^os — like men — they drunk 'em. 

Tears for the ships tliat were sunk in the fight; 
Hurrah for the lads that sunk 'em. 

Sword Presented to the Admiral. 

On the 3d of October there was another great demonstration when the 
sword voted by Congress to Admiral Dewey was presented to him on the 
steps of the Capitol at Washington. 

Not since that day thirty-four years before, when historic Pennsylvania 
avenue echoed to the marching tramp of the victorious legions of the North 
as hour after hour they passed in review before the President of the United 
States, has any President been the agent of the people to show a people's 
gratitude to a naval or military hero until the day when, before thousands of 
spectators, President McKinley made the presentation. 

At the White House the President and the members of his Cabinet were 
waiting to receive the guest of the nation. Mr. McKinley inquired after the 
health of his guest, the members of the Cabinet expressed their delight at 
seeing him looking so well, and then word was given to make the start. 

In front of the White Hous£ the regulars under command of Major- 
General Miles and a brilliant staff, were drawn up for escort. General Miles 
rode a magnificent gray charger, and with a broad yellow sash over his right 
shoulder, looked the typical commander-in-chief. The military escort was 
made up to represent every arm of the land and sea forces of the United 
States. Following the General ar-d his staff came a battalion of marines, then 
the men of the Olympia, a light and heavy battery of artillery, and three 
troops of cavalry. Immediately following the military came the President 
and Admiral Dewey, the members of the Cabinet, the former captains of the 
Manila fleet, the visiting Governors and their staffs, the rear being brought 
up by the District of Columbia militia. 

It was a pretty sight to see the troops marching down that broad avenue, 
an avenue that has been the scene of so many processions and ceremonial 
occasions, over which Presidents have been driven to be inaugurated, over 
which soldiers and veterans have marched, along which a Spanish princess 
drove when she was ths nation's guest, and along which, a little while later, 



MAGNIFICENT ^v^:LCO^T^: to dkwky. 541 

a Spanish Minister drove when there was nothing left to the United States 
except the war with Spain. 

To the inspiration of the music of their bands the troops marched mag- 
nificently. There is no finer body of men to be found anywhere than the 
marines of the American navy, and as they marched along the avenue, their 
step being less stiff than that of the infantry soldier, and yet not the rolling 
gait of the jack tar, there was round after round of applause. 

And it was the sailors who got the greatest applause, for the day belonged 
to the navy, and the men who made the world respect American ships and 
American sailors arc very close to the popular heart. The battalion from the 
Olympia swung along in that free-and-easy gait that always marks the sailor 
on shore. He marches as if he enjoys feeling something solid beneath him, 
and yet as if he rather missed not having to sway with the swaying ship 
beneath him. 

The Olympia's men had their Congrossional medals pinned to their 
breasts, and the sight of these little pieces of bronze aroused the crowds to 
greater frenzy. Following them came the artiller}'-, their red plumes nodding 
in the gentle breeze, and then the red gave place to yellow as the cavalry came 
sweeping past the line, stretching nearly the full width of the widest street in 
the United States. 

Great Public Demoestratiou. 

Cheers rent the air, but when the crowd saw a carriage containing two 
men, one in a silk hat, who looked neither to the right nor left, and the other 
in an Admiral's uniform, who looked both to right and left, whose hat was 
continually off his head and who at times stood up in the carriage to show his 
ackowledgments of a nation's affection, the wildest demonstrations followed. 

The plaza of the east front of the Capitol was packed when the procession 
arrived, and the people there took up the vocal chorus. 

Hon. John D. Long, Secretary of the Nav)', made the presentation 
speech as follows: 

"On May 7, 1898, this cablegram was sent you from Washington: 'The 
President, in the name of the American people, thanks you and your officers 
and men for your splendid achievement and overwhelming victory. In recog- 
nition, he has appointed you Acting Rear-Admiral, and will recommend a 
vote of thanks to you by Congress as a rcommendation for further promotion.' 

" In these few words what a volume of history ! What a record of swift, 
high, heroic discharge of duty! You went ; you saw ; you conquered. It 
seems but yesterday that the republic, full of anxiety, strained its listening ear 
to catch the first word from those distant islands of the sea. It came flashing 



542 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

over the wires that May morning as the sun burst through the clouds, and 
filled every heart with the illumination of its good cheer. In the twinkling of 
an eye your name was on every lip; the blessing of every American was on 
your head, and your country strode instantly forward, a mightier power among 
the nations of the world. As we welcome you back there comes back also 
the vivid picture of that time, with all its hopes and fears, and with all its 
swift succeeding triumph and glory. 

" The victory of Manila Bay gave you rank with the most distinguished 
naval heroes of all time. Nor was your merit most in the brilliant victory 
which you achieved in a battle fought with the utmost gallantry and skill, 
waged without error, and crowned with overwhelming success. It was still 
more in the nerve with which you sailed from Hong Kong to Manila harbor ; 
in the spirit of your conception of attack ; in your high commanding confi- 
dence as a leader who had weighed every risk and prepared for every emer- 
gency, and who also had that unfaltering determination to win, and that utter 
freedom from the thought or possibility of swerving from his purpose, which 
are the very assurance of victory. 

Tried as by Fire. 

" No captain ever faced a more crucial test than when that morning, 
bearing the fate and the honor of your country in your hand, thousands of 
miles from home, with every foreign port in the world shut to you, nothing 
between you and annihilation but the thin sheating of your ships, your cannon 
and your devoted officers and men, you moved upon the enemy's batteries 
on shore and on sea with unflinching faith and nerve, and, before the sun was 
half way up in the heavens, had silenced the guns of the foe, sunk the hostile 
fleet, demonstrated the supremacy of the American sea power, and trans- 
ferred to the United States an empire of the islands of the Pacific. 

" By authorizing the presentation of this sword to you as the mark of its 
approval, your country has recognized, therefore, not only the great rich 
fruits which, even before returning from your victory, you have poured into 
her lap, but also her own responsibility to discharge the great trust which is 
thus put upon her and fulfill the destiny of her own growth and of the empire 
that is now her charge. It is a new demand upon all the resources of her 
conscience, wisdom and courage. It is a work in the speedy and beneficent 
consummation of which she is entitled to the cordial help, sympathy and 
uplift of all her citizens, not the faint-hearted doubts and teasing cavils of any 
of them. It is a work on which she has entered in the interest of early peace 
in those new lands, the establishment in them of law and order, the security 
of life and property, and the American standards of prosperity and home. 



MAGNIFICKNT WKLCOATE T(^ DKWKY. 543 

*' Let those who fear remember that, thouj^li her children, guided by you, 
took the wings of the morning and dwelt in the utmost parts of the sea, even 
there the hand of our fathers' God shall lead them, and His right hand shall 
hold them. 

" It is my good fortune, under the terms of the enactment of Congress, 
to have the honor of presenting to you this beautiful sword. If, during the 
many coming years, which I trust will be yours, of useful service to your 
country, it shall remain sheathed in peace, as God grant it may, tliat fact will 
perhaps be due more than to anything else to the thoroughness with which 
you have already done its work. 

Honored by All His Countrymen. 

" I congratulate you on your return across the sea in full health of mind 
and body to receive it here ; here, in the national Capitol ; here, on these con- 
secrated steps, where Lincoln stood; here, standing between the statue of the 
first President of the United States and him who is its living President to-day ; 
here, in this beautiful city, adorned with the statues of its statesmen and 
heroes, the number incomplete until your own is added ; here, amid this throng 
of citizens, who are only a type of the millions and millions more who are 
all animated by the same spirit of affectionate and grateful welcome. I cannot 
doubt that it is one of the proudest days of your life, and I know that it is 
one of the happiest in the heart of each one of your fellow countrymen 
wherever they are, whether on the continent or on the far-off*islands of the sea. 

" Now, following the authorization of Congress, I present this sword of 
honor, which I hold in my hand — my hand — rather let it go to you through 
the hand of one who, in his youth, also periled his life and fought for his 
country in battle, and who to-day is the commander-in-chief of all our armies 
and navies, the President of the United States." 

As Secretary Long concluded he passed the sword to President McKin- 
ley. The latter rose and faced the Admiral. Dewey was visibly affected and 
brushed his gloved hands across his eyes before standing at attention. 

The President said: "Admiral Dewey, from your entrance in the harbor 
of New York with your gallant crew and valiant ship the demonstrations 
which everywhere have greeted you reveal the public esteem of your heroic 
action and the fulness of the love in which you are held by your countn,-. 

" The voice of the nation is lifted in praise and gratitude for the distin- 
guished and memorable services you have rendered the country, and all the 
people give you affectionate welcome home, in which I join with all m\' heart. 
Your victory exalted American valor and extended American authority. There 
was no flaw in your victory; there will be no faltering in maintaining it. It 



544 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

gives me extreme pleasure and great honor in behalf of all the people to hand 
you this sword, the gift of the nation voted by the Congress of the United 
States." 

The President handed the Admiral the sword, with a deep bow, and there 
ivas a roar of applause as Dewey received it. The crowd was hushed as he 
turned to reply. 

Admiral Dewey said : " I thank you, Mr. President, for this great honor 
you have conferred upon me. I thank the Congress for what it has done. I 
thank the Secretary of the Navy for his gracious words. I thank my coun- 
trymen for this beautiful gift which shall be an heirloom in my family forever 
as an evidence that republics are not ungrateful, and I thank you, Mr. Chair- 
man and gentlemen of the committee, for the gracious, cordial and kindly 
welcome which you have given me to my home." 

The band played " The Star-Spangled Banner," and then Cardinal Gibbons 
pronounced the benediction. 

There was the usual bustle and confusion as the ceremonies closed, and 
then the crowd re-arranged itself, a broad path was cleared across the plaza an(J- 
Admiral Dewey stood up beside the President to review the parade. 

The sword blade is damascened, with the inscription: 

"The gift of the nation to Rear Admiral George Dewey, U. S. N., in 
memory of the victory at Manila Bay, May i, 1898." 

Great Oelebration at Montpelier. 

Admiral Dewey reached New York October loth, on his way to Mont- 
pelier, Vermont. From the time the special train left the Grand Central Sta- 
tion in New York there was one continuous and spontaneous ovation to the 
hero of Manila. All stations, even where it was known the train would not 
stop, were surrounded with enthusiastic crowds, and between stations hun- 
dreds of persons lined the tracks, feeling amply repaid for hours of waiting by 
a fleeting glimpse of ;i face long since made familiar, through countless 
pictures, to the world. 

The celebration at Montpelier was fixed for Thursday, the 12th. Perfect 
weather, a vast crowd and the presence of Admiral Dewey, formed a combi- 
nation calculated to stir the staid residents of this section almost to demons- 
trative enthusiasm. For two days the throngs had been arriving. Dozens 
of special trains were run on all the railroads, and thousands of residents of 
the surrounding country came in vehicles and on horseback. Forty thousand 
visitors were in the town by noon, and, as this represents about six times 
its ordinary population, the crush may be imagined. 

The guard of honor for the Admiral's carriage was the cadet corps of 



MAGNlFICENr WELCOMK TO DKWEY. 545 

Norwich Acauciny, where Dewey formerly went to school. All along the 
line of niarch the crowds applauded, and for the greater part of the time the 
AdmiraL stood uncovered in the landau. As for the parade itselt, it was a 
pretty sight, not too long to become tiresome, and quite long enough to 
furnish plenty of music and a satisfactory spectacle. Dewey preceded the 
] :ocession until it reached the reviewing stand in front of the State Mouse. 
Ihere he left the carriage and entered the stand. 

As he escorted the Admiral to his position on the platforni, Governor 
Smith took out of his pocket the beautiful medal purchased by the State, and 
made by Tiffany, of New York, and pinned it upon Dewey's breast. " Now 
you're it," was all the presentation speech he made. Admiral Dewey must 
have been satisfied with both the medal and tlie speech, for he could not find 
a word to say in reply. But when he reached the front of the stand his misty 
eyes and twitching mouth gave silent utterance to the feelings of a swelling 
heart. 

The Capitol and grounds were brilliantly illuminated in the evening, and 
there were elaborate fireworks, but the great feature was the bonfire. High 
up on the precipitous bluff overlooking the town had been built a pile nearly 
one hundred feet high. It was constructed of wood, with barrels of pitch 
plentifully distributed. Once thoroughly ignited, the flame shot skyward 
hundreds of feet and illuminated the countr>' bright as day for miles around. 
The light could be seen over fully half the State, and was designed as a sig- 
nal that Dewey was all right. 

The Admiral's Birthplace. 

The house in which Dewey was born has attracted great attention during 
the ila\-. It no longer belongs to the Dewey family, and its enterprising owner 
netted a neat sum by charging admission to sight-seers. The little school- 
house which Dewey attended as a child was also visited by thousands. 

On Friday, October 13th, Admiral Dewey was welcomed to his alma 
mater, Norwich University, and was given an opportunity to lay the corner- 
stone of an enduring monument to his fame, Dewey Hall. Incidentally 
he received a new title, that of Doctor of Laws, conferred by the univer- 
sity. When he reached Boston in the evening there was a solid jam of 
people in and about the station, and the city in all parts was beautifully 
decorated. 

It was 10 o'clock next morning when the Admiral got away from his 

hotel. On the .street the ovation which followed him was most enthusiastic. 

The Mayor and the Admiral's aide were in the second carriage the first being 

occupied by the school committee delegation. In other carriages were the 

^5 



646 MAGNIFICENT WELCOME TO DEWEY. 

naval officers and such other gentlemen as had been invited to acrompany 
the Admiral. 

The party proceeded to the Common, where more than 25,000 school 
children, carrying flags and guidons, were drawn up in two columns, about 
1,500 feet long and ten to twenty deep. The children sang "America " as 
soon as the carriages arrived, the Municipal Band accompanying them and the 
thousands of spectators joining in the chorus. 

At tne last verse the carriage started down the aisle between the columns 
of the children, and the singing changed to cheers and waving of flags. The 
band played, " The Star Spangled Banner," the carriages returned through 
the aisles and then passed rapidly out into Beacon Street, on the way to the 
City Hall, where the presentation of the magnificently jeweled watch on behalf 
of the city of Boston and the freedom of the city was to be made. The en- 
thusiasm which greeted the Admiral upon his arrival at the City Hall equaled 
that which he received on the Common. His carriage drew up at the entrance 
to the City Hall at 10.34, and the Admiral at once ascended the stand erected 
in front of the building, which was decorated in bunting and evergreens. 

Boston's Magnificent Welcome. 
By the stand at City Hall 280 trained singers from the Handel and Haydn 
Society were seated. As the Admiral and his party appeared upon the stand 
the society sang, " See the Conquering Hero Comes," to which the Admiral 
listened, chapeau in hand, and at the close of which he stepped forward and 
acknowledged the reception with repeated bows. The action called forth a 
great wave of cheers, which Mayor Quincy, arising, checked with uplifted 
hand. The Mayor then delivered the address of presentation to the distin- 
guished guest, who remained seated, at the Mayor's suggestion. In his address 
Mayor Quincy characterized the battle of Manila Bay as " the greatest since 

Trafalgar." 

At the State House the Admiral and Governor Wolcott and staff left the 
line and took up a position on the State House steps, where they remained 
while the parade passed in review on its way to the Common, where the colors 
carried by those regiments which were in the Spanish War, were formally sur- 
rendered to the State with impressive ceremonies. The exercises were viewed 
by Admiral Dewey, who, with Governor Wolcott and staff, was escorted to 
the parade ground by the men of the Olympia. The vast mass of people 
assembled on the historic field was the largest that Boston residents had seen 
in a long time. Nothing occurred to mar the success of the popular welcome 
extended to the Hero of Manila, all classes of citizens uniting in admiration 
of his patriotism and gallantry. 




CHAPTER XXXIV. 
Progress of the War in the Philippines. 

S soon as the heavy rains ceased in the Philippines the American 
\\V^ troops resumed military operations. Several unimportant skir- 
mishes signalized the opening of the new campaign. At Imus, 
Luzon, on October 3d, General Lawton dispersed the insurgents, 
driving them to the westward. The purpose of the rebels was to cut the 
communication maintained between Bacoor and Imus by means of the road 
between those places at a point between Imus and the east bank of the river. 
The insurgents had trenches along the west bank commanding the open 
spaces. A force of 1500 rebels attacked Imus and 600 proceeded against 
Bacoor, with detachments along the river. 

Colonel Daggett's force spread along the road from Bacoor toward 
Imus and three companies of the Fourth Regiment, under Captain Hollis, 
were thrown out from Imus, the two commands forming a junction. 

The entire line crossed the river and drove the Filipinos from their 
trenches to the westward, through rice fields and thickets. The marines, 
whose services were tendered by Admiral Watson, crossed the river near the 
bay, forming a part of the line of advance. Before the forward movement was 
begun the American artillery shelled the enemy's position. The only Ameri- 
can casualty was the wounding of a lieutenant of artillery. 

The Enemy Forced Back. 

On October 13th, General Fred. Grant with three companies of the 
Fourth Regiment, two companies of the Fourteenth and several scouts, 
crossed the Imus river and formed a line extending from Binacayan to Ma- 
nila Bay. The troops then moved toward Bacoor, forcing the enenn- to the 
shore of the bay. Riley's battery enfiladed the rebels from the Bacoor road. 
The sharpest part of the skirmish took place within close range of the Bina- 
cayan church. 

The entire country' over which the troops operated consists of swamps, 
rice fields and fish dykes, and the exertion of moving through and over these 
obstacles greatly fatigued the Americans. The insurgents were under com- 
mand of Casanela, the former Mayor of Imus, who abandoned his support 
of the Americans and became a general in the rebel army. 

647 



548 PROGRESS OF THE WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Pursuing the plan of campaign American troops were sent by water to 
Upper Luzon. The landing at San Fabian November 7th was a most spec- 

4 

tacular afifair. The co-operation of the troops and the navy was complete. 
The gunboats made a terrible bombardment for an hour, while the troops 
rushed waist-deep through the surf under a heavy but badly-aimed rifle fire 
from the insurgent trenches, and charged right and left, pouring volley after 
volley at the fleeing rebels. 

Forty Filipinos were captured, mostly non-commissioned officers. Sev- 
eral insurgent dead and five wounded were found in a building which had 
suffered considerably from the bombardment. The town was well fortified. 
The sand dunes were riveted with bamboo twenty feet thick, which afforded a 
fine cover. 

When the transports arrived in the gulf they found the gunboats Prince- 
ton, Beiinington and others waiting. After consultation with General Whea- 
ton, Commander Knox, of the Princeton, and Commander Sheridan, of the 
Bennington, anchored on the shallow two miles off shore. The gunboats 
formed a line inside, the Helena, Callao and Manila close in shore. 

Batteries Thundering at the Trenches. 

With the first gun of the bombardment the small boats were filled rapidly 
without confusion by Major Cronite's battalion of the Twenty-third Infantry, 
and Captain Buck's battalion of the Thirteenth Infantry. While the lines of 
boats moved shoreward the gunboats poured the full force of their batteries 
into the trenches, soon forcing the insurgents to flee through the burrows dug 
back of the trenches. About 200 men held their places until the keels of the 
boats grated on the shore, when their Mauser bullets commenced to sing 
over-head. 

The battalions formed in good order. Captain Buck, with Pierce's and 
Patton's companies, pursued the insurgents on the left into the bamboo 
thickets. On the right was a frail foot bridge across the river, leading to the 
towns. General Wheaton, personally commanding, ordered a charge across 
the bridge, and Captain Howland, of his staff, led Coleman's and Elliott's 
companies, of the Thirteenth, and Shield's company, of the Twenty-third, 
who behaved splendidly under their first fire, into the town, which was found 
to be nearly deserted, except by the aged and some Spaniards who had hidden 
in the buffalo wallows, and who came shouting delightedly toward the 
Americans. 

Two companies of the Thirty-third had a skirmish along the Dagupan 
road with the retreating Filipinos. Major Shields, of the staff, with his men, 
captured several insurgents. The troops camped in the rain during the nighty 



rkOGRKSS OF TIIK WAR IN Till-: I'll I LI I'l'lNKS. ".4:» 

aiui ill the morning General Wheaton established his headquarters in a 
church, quartered his men in the houses and sent the captured Filipinos be- 
yond the outposts, with orders not to return. 

Wednesday, November 8th, was devoted to rcconnoissances. Major 
Logan went northward to Santo Tomas and burned the Filipino barracks. 
Captain Buck's Thirteenth went to San Jacinto and disposed of small bands. 
Marsh's Twenty-third went toward Magdalen, on the Dagupan road, and had 
several sharp fights with small parties. They killed eight men, brought in 
twenty prisoners and had five men wounded. 

The Santo Tomas road seemed to be the only possible means of retreat 
for a large body north from Tarlac, and General Wheaton commanded it. The 
insurgents of this section were going to reinforce Tarlac. The battleship 
Oregon arrived from Hong Kong. 

Capt lin Chenoweth and Lieutenants Davis, Van Home and Bradford, 
with two companies of the Seventeenth Regiment, reconnoitering northeast 
of Mabalacal, attacked and routed a battalion of insurgents, killing twenty- 
nine of them. Three Americans were wounded. 

Pressing Forward Under Difficulties. 

General Wheaton reported, by the Bennington, that when the landing was 
made at San Fabian the insurgents encountered were 300 recruits, who were 
on their way to Dagupan, where they expected the expedition to land. They 
retreated to the mountains. Twenty-eight Spanish prisoners were rescued. 

It rained hard throughout the week, handicapping Generals Lawton and 
MacArthur. The tran.sportation was the chief difficult}-. In the advance 
General Lawton depended on the river to get his supplies. The San Isidro 
River is fed by mountain streams, and is alternately too shallow for navigation 
or too swift. Two and three launches were necessary to pull the casco mov- 
ing tlie supplies from San Isidro. and the mule trains moving supplies from 
San Isidro over the muddy roads, made only two or three miles a day. The 
troops were on short rations much of the time. The only provisions the 
country yields are rice, a few chickens and buffalo. The officers carried a 
sui)ply of cash to pay the natives liberally for all they took. The highlands 
are cool and the health of the troops was good. 

General Young captured another large share of insurgent ammunition 
and munitions of war. which they were obliged to leave in their hurried re- 
treat. General MacArthur brought supplies from Angeles by the use of mule 
and carabao teams. Rcconnoissances along the front discovered the insur- 
gents strongly entrenched before Bamban, with several cannon and a rapid- 
fire gun, but they were short of ammunition. 



550 PROGRESS OF THE WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Major Bell engaged in another daring exploit. While scouting with five 
officers and two men of the Thirty-sixth Infantry and Lieutenant Hawkins 
and ten men of the Fourth Cavalry, he crept behind a trench containing a 
hundred Filipinos, rode them down and killed and wounded twenty men and 
captured six. He also brought back thirty Mausers. 

General Wheaton's base of operations was the shore of the Gulf of Lin- 
gayen. From this he pushed inland, driving the Filipinos before him. On 
November 13th the advance skirmishers of the American line discovered the 
insurgents in great force about eight miles inland from the shore of the Gulf. 
They were very strongly entrenched and fully equaled in number the total 
of the American troops. 

It was a desperate endeavor to dislodge them from the very strong posi- 
tion they had made for themselves. They were on a side hill, overlooking a 
valley through which it was necessary for the American troops to march to 
the attack. On both sides of their position there were high trees in which 
the Filipino sharpshooters had taken a commanding position. They could 
easily make their range for a thousand yards, and in return it was almost im- 
possible for the Americans to distinguish them. Armed as they were with 
Mauser rifles and using smokeless powder, it was possible for them to pick 
off the leaders in the American advance without receiving any dangerous 
return fire. 

A Hazardous Undertaking. 

When the American skirmishers had discovered the strong position at- 
tained by Aguinaldo's force they immediately fell back to the main body. A 
council was held and General Wheaton straightway determined it was neces- 
sary to make a prompt advance. It was his belief that no time was to be 
lost and that the enemy could be more quickly dislodged by an onslaught 
than by any endeavor at strategy or deliberate warfare. The nature of the 
ground in front of his troops, however, was unknown to him, and it was neces- 
sary to gain information. 

The foremost position in his column was held by the Thirty-third Volun- 
teer Infantry, in which Major Logan was an officer. The surveying of the 
ground in front of the insurgent entrenchments was a most hazardous matter 
and there was a call for volunteers. Major Logan, with the bravery which 
came to him from his illustrious and courageous father, was one of the first 
to respond. His regiment, the Thirty-third, which was newly organized, had 
among its numbers many members of the old regiment of Rough Riders, 
including a large percentage of Texan Rangers. From the latter '^ight men 
were selected to accompany Major Logan in his perilous endea^jr to dis- 



PROGRESS OF THE WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES. 551 

cover the exact position of the enemy and the strength of the works which 
had been erected. 

It was almost like going to certain death when these men started out. 
The Filipino sharpshooters had already shown they had the range, for they 
had picked off several of the Americans in the advance line. Between the 
Americans and the insurgents in the bottom of the valley there was a shal- 
lov/ stream with a deep bog on each side of it. To get any idea of the situa- 
tion beyond it was necessary to wade through this, and this is what Major 
Logan and his eight Texan volunteers undertook to do. 

The attemf t to gain exact knowledge of the enemy's position was suc- 
cessful. Two of the men who accompanied Major Logan were picked off by 
the Filipino sharpshooters immediately after they had shown themselves in 
the open ground. Major Logan and the others of his men traversed the val- 
ley successfully and returned with a complete report of the obstacles they had 
encountered. 

General Wheaton then ordered a general advance. The Thirty-third 
Volunteers were in front and in the centre of the line. They thus encoun- 
tered the brunt of the enemy's fire. Major Logan, with his individual knowl- 
edge of the ground, was in advance of the line. The remainder of his bat- 
talion was struggling on hehind him. The Filipino sharpshooters in the trees 
and in the branches kept up a murderous fire. As the Americans passed 
through the bog they found it necessary to deploy to the right and to the left 
through the muddy rice fields and JDamboo thickets that marked the slope up 
toward the enemy's trenches. 

Death of the Gallant Logan 

There was no questioning the enemy's strength, for the firing from the 
entrenchments was just as strong as that which the Americans could give in 
response. Major Logan was one of the first to fall, having gallantly led his 
men halfway up the slope and almost to within immediate striking distance 
of the entrenchment. He was jnstantly killed and the line of battle passed 
over and beyond him. 

The battle, which is known as that of San Jacinto, was one of the most 
desperate of all that marked the warfare in the Philippines. It proved that 
the insurgents were struggling desperately to preserve an avenue of escape 
between the forces of General Wheaton and General Young. 

Major John A. Logan, who thus died in a manner quite befitting the son 
of Old " Black Hawk," was christened " Manning," and was known by that 
name until a few years before his father's death, when he assumed the name 
of John A. Logan, Jr. He entered West Point, but did not graduate, owing 



552 PROGRESS OF THE WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

to defective eyesight. He afterwards lived with his parents in Wa.shington 

until he married the daughter of the millionaire iron manufacturer, Chauncey 

Andrews, of Youngstown, Ohio. 

The young couple thereafter made their home in Youngstown, where 

Major Logan was for a time engaged in the mining of limestone. He also 

became greatly interested in horse-breeding, and established near Youngstown 

the Iriole Stud Farm, which represented an investment of more than $500,000. 

For about six years Major Logan had an international reputation as a breeder 

of hackneys, and at the horse show held in New York in the spring of 1894^ 

the entries from his establishment won no less than twenty-three prizes. 

Shortly after that success, however, he determined to retire from the business 

of stock-breeding, and the whole collection of horses at his farm was sold at 

auction. 

A Brave and Patriotic OflEicer. 

Soon after the outbreak of the war with Spain Mr. Logan was appointed 
an assistant adjutant general of volunteers, with the rank of first lieutenant, 
and in that capacity went to Cuba with the Shafter expedition as member of 
the staff of General J. C. Bates, with whom he served during the Santiago 
campaign, and until General Bates' departure for the Philippines. He took 
part in the battle of El Caney, was promoted to the rank of major for gal- 
lantry in battle, and at the conclusion of the Cuban war remained on the staff 
of General Bates, who became Governor of Santa Clara province. In May, 
1899, Major Logan tendered his resignation to the President and was 
honorably discharged from the service. On August 19, l^owever, he was 
re-appointed to the volunteer army with the lank of major, a'vj ;igr.e;l to the 
Thirty-third Infantry. With that regiment he sailed for the :; ...pitT^ Islands 
early in October and met his death there in the gallant dis. 1 . , . .-: jty. 

To a friend he said : " If it is my fortune to lose my life in Li . ar I hope 
it will be at the front, leading my troops," and the patriotic <^^^., on of one 
who did not know the meaning of the word fear was fulfilled to the letter. 

Mrs. Logan received many messages of condolence, among them the 

following : 

Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C, November 14. 
Mrs. John A. Logan, Jr. 

k is my painful duty to convey to you the sad intelligence of the death of your husband, 
while gallantly leading his battalion in the charge at San Jacinto. His splendid qualities 
as a soldier and high courage on the firing lii>e, have given him place among the heroic 
men of the \v;ir, and it wi-ll be some consolation to you to know that he died for his country 
on the field of honor. You have in this trying hour for yourself and the children, the sin- 
cere sympathy of Mrs. McKinley and myself. William McKinley. 



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